


The Rydell Legacy: Return To Rydell (Grease 2)

by Alexdarkland



Category: Grease 2 (1982)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, F/M, Fan-Script, Gen, High School, Mostly movie-accurate with a few additional commmentaries, Musical, Other, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 35,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3570758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexdarkland/pseuds/Alexdarkland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was originally dvd subtitles ripped and converted to text (By Drew of Drew's Script-O-Rama). Spoken dialogue and lyrics only.<br/>I took it and completely overhauled it into a nearly full re-telling of the whole movie, with character descriptions, their moods or inner thoughts at times, what they seemed to be thinking. I also added names to the characters that were simply named Boy Greaser / Girl Greaser in  the film, giving them names based off of dialogue or based off their real names. I had a LOT of help from Ivy Austin, the actress who played Francine, the girl with the long braids, and Bernie Hiller, one of the dancers.<br/>I tried to describe the physical action / dancing as best as I could, and in the right order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Title Page

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Willow124](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow124/gifts).



**For Ivy Austin**

**With huge thanks to Adrian Zmed, Bernie Hiller, and Donna King for their invaluable input!**

**The Rydell Legacy - Return To Rydell: Grease 2**

**EXTENDED Edition (Two deleted scenes re-integrated)**

**Rated PG (D.L.S.)**

**_A `Fan-Script' by Ken Masterson_ **

 

Directed and Choreographed by Patricia Birch

 

Produced by Allan Carr and Robert Stigwood

 

Original script by Ken Finkleman

 

Dialogue transcribed from DVD subtitles by Drew (Drew's Script-O-Rama)

Dialogue edited (corrected & augmented), scene descriptions, characterizations, Illustrations, and commentaries by Ken Masterson (me).

**_Some descriptions garnered from:_ **

 

Grease 2 novelization by William Rotsler

A Grease 2 fan-fic by Willow124

A plot summary by SonofGrease.org

A Grease 2 review by Dustin Putman

T-Bird’s `real' names from Grease.wikia.org

Deleted scene - Michael & Davey: Grease 2 Novelization by William Rotsler

Deleted scene - Michael & Frenchy: Grease2.net Script Excerpt

**Starring**

Maxwell Caulfield

Michelle Pfeiffer

 

_T-Birds:_

Adrian Zmed

Christopher McDonald

Peter Frechette

Leif Green

**Pink Ladies:**

Lorna Luft

Maureen Teefy

Allison Price

Pamela Segall

 

**Returning from Grease (1978)**

DidiConn

Eve Arden

Dody Goodman

Sid Caesar

Eddie Deezen

Dennis C. Stewart

Dick Patterson as Mr. Spears

 

Tab Hunter as Mr. Bud* Stuart

Connie Stevens as Miss Yvette Mason

Jean Sagall as Stacie

Liz Sagall as Gracie

**  
**

**Supporting Cast / Dancers (Boy / Girl Greasers)**

 

Ivy Austin as Francine**

Tom Villard as Willie Willard**

 

Bernardo Hiller as Bernie

Helena Andreyko as Helen

 

Andy Tennant as Artie**

Sandra Gray as Sandi Green

 

Donna King as Donna Singer

John Robert Garrett as R.G.

 

Dallace Winkler as Dallace Winger

Aurelio Padron as Aurelio Perez

 

Evelyn Tosi as Evie Lynn

Dennis Daniels as Dennis Jimenez

 

Lucinda Dickey as Lucy Dickens

Charles McGowan as Chuck McGovern

 

Roy Luthringer as Roy Luther

Vicki Hunter as Vicki Hunt

 

Michael DiMente as Bruce Sanders*

 

Janet Jones* as Olivia Jones

 

**Their character names were actually spoken in the film and are therefore Grease 2 Canon

*Names taken from Grease 2 novel

*Yes, the same Janet Jones who married Hockey Legend Wayne Gretzky.


	2. Part 1: Back To School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a new school year. The Original T-Birds and Pink Ladies (sans Frenchy) have long since graduated, paving the way for a new generation of leather-clad T-Birds and pink satin-wearing Pink ladies to "Rule The School".

**Part 1: Back To School**

 

The year is 1961, the John F. Kennedy era, a time of potential nuclear war with the Russians. The car-craze of the '50s had given way to the Motorcycle Craze of the fledgling '60s.      

 

A fresh school year was underway at Rydell High. Not much had changed since T-Bird Danny Zuko and Australian good girl Sandy Olsen (Now Olsen-Zuko) graduated two years earlier. The newest generation of the sexy, pink satin-wearing Pink Ladies and the rugged leather-clad T-Birds still ruled the school in their overzealous proclamation of cool.

 

Monday, September 4, 1961. RydellHigh School, Norwalk, California, near Los Angeles. Rival of St. Bernadette High.

 

As an instrumental version of the Rydell Alma Mater played overhead, Principal Verna McGee and her assistant Blanche Hodel walked down the steps of Rydell High, to the flag pole, carrying the Rydell flag.

 

 

"A new school year, Blanche. A new era," McGee said enthusiastically, "If the Russians can put a man in space, just imagine what our young American minds can do at Rydell."

 

Mrs. McGee and Blanche looked pretty much the same as they did back when the original T-Birds departed; Blanche was outgoing, friendly, and a bit goofy, her red hair always curly, always a smile on her face. Mrs. McGee hadn’t changed much, either. Still authoritative, strict, in charge. She was somewhat attractive in an `I Love Lucy’ Lucille Ball kind of way, dressed conservatively, her coppery red hair done up in a large, high bun.

 

They approached the flagpole, chuckling happily. They unfurled, tied, then hoisted the 1961 Rydell flag, Blanche saluting as Mrs. McGee continued, "This is going to be a wonderful year, Blanche."

 

 

Blanche agreed wholeheartedly, "A wonderful...."

 

And then... **_SCREEEEECH_** ** _-CRASH!!!_** The sound of a vehicle hitting another!

 

In shock, Blanche and Miss McGee released the flag, which fell and covered them.

 

 ** _"Ah! Oh, Miss McGee?!"_** Blanche cried out as the flag covered them, and Mrs. McGee seconded that cry, **_"Blanche!"_**

 

And all hell broke loose as the 1961 semester Rydell students burst out into the intro song, Bernie Dillard, his girlfriend Helen Andrews, Aurelio Perez, and Francine in the lead

_Spendin' my vacation in the summer sun._

_Gettin' lots of action and lots of fun._

_Scorin' like a bandit 'til the bubble burst._

_Suddenly it got to be September First!_

_Woe is me!_

_All summer long I was happy and free!_

 

"Oh..." Mrs. McGee moaned at the ruckus as she and Blanche disentangled themselves from the flag.

 

This was apparently going to be a _very_ odd year.

 

_Save my soul!_

_The board of education took away my parole!_

**_"Ick!"_** Blanche cried out from the flagpole.

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

 

Eugene Felsnic, long-time Rydell student, now in his senior year (he was a Freshman during the 58-59 semester), stepped off the bus, and was met by Dennis Jimenez, who clapped him on the back in greeting... then shoved him into the path of oncoming jocks, who were on their morning run. WHAM!

**_"Whoa! Hey!"_** Eugene exclaimed as they ran him over, scattering his books around.

 

A car arrived on the lot, a gorgeous pink 1948 Studebaker Commander, slamming up against the curb.

 

“Nice park job,” one of the students jeered as the Queens of The School, the Pink Ladies, disembarked as soon as the car stopped.

 

First out was Rhonda, followed by Paulette, Sharon, then Paulette's sister, the Pink Ladies' unofficial `mascot', Dolores, who looked to be in her freshman or sophomore year.

 

                **The Pink Ladies (** **Queens** **of The School)**

 

Sharon Cooper: Second-in-command of the Pink Ladies. A Jackie Kennedy look-alike. Curly-haired, pillbox hat, mint-green skirt and pastel blouse. She was pretty, cheerful, a bit of a `doer of good', but also very opinionated, bossy, and had about her a haughty air that suggested she believed she was the Pink Ladies' actual leader.

 

Paulette Rebchuck: The Pink Ladies third-in-command. Tall, blonde, buxom, delicately built, extremely beautiful, and focused on what she wanted with lunatic intensity. And she wanted the now-unattached leader of the T-Birds. Curly blonde bouffant hairdo, pastel pink skirt, and a low-cut sweater-blouse, she was Rydell's answer to Marilyn Monroe.

 

Rhonda Ritter: The equivalent of the Pink Ladies’ lieutenant. She wasn't as pretentious as Sharon. She seemed happy with her status, especially as she was the driver. The Pink Ladies – sans their leader - didn't go anywhere without her; She had the car keys. Sporting the standard Pink Lady satin jacket, wavy brown hair, perky nose, and glasses, she was very pretty, but vaguely nerdy in appearance.

 

Dolores Rebchuck: Pink Lady-in-training. Young, feisty, white sweater, dual ponytails. She was cute, spirited, and brave to a fault! There were few people gutsy enough to refer to the little firebrand as `Woodchuck' or `Upchuck’, and they learned to regret it. She was at Rydell to get an education and also annoy her big sister. That's what sisters (and brothers) do. It's a prerequisite for being siblings.

 

_You won't find me_

_'til the clock strikes three._

_I'm gonna be there 'til then._

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again!_

 

Finally, the Pink Ladies' leader arrived.

 

Stephanie Zinone: Queen of The School, leader of the Pink Ladies. Young, strong, extremely beautiful in form, and mischievous. Sporting long blonde hair, a well-toned frame, a turquoise blue shirt under her reversible pink-to-black satin jacket, she was one of the most beautiful, most desired girls in the school. She yearned for a motorcycle-riding `bad boy', despite her growing disdain for what the smarmy T-Birds symbolized. In actuality, she was a gal looking for the machismo and danger that came with being seventeen and seemingly invincible, but also someone who would show her the respect and kindness she deserved. She would settle for nothing less.

 

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to school... again!_

 

Back at the Pink ladies' car, Sharon sat on hood of the car, smoking a cigarette, waiting for their official leader, and said with exaggerated aloofness, “She's late again. Well, personally, I think being late demonstrates terrible leadership qualities."

 

As Sharon was speaking, Dolores noticed that Paulette's jacket was a bit too open, showing her sister's nice-sized bosom too prominently. She surreptitiously moved the right flap of the jacket over Paulette's chest, only to have Paulette snap the jacket back open again.

 

Sharon waited a few seconds, then gave up and started to leave, "Well, I'm not waiting anymore."

 

“Here she is!" Rhonda announced.

 

 _"Well,"_ Sharon replied in an `it’s about time' fashion as Steph arrived.

 

Steph smiled and said, "We're gonna be late. Let's go." Then she flipped the collar of her pink jacket, adjusted her sunglasses. `School's in and I'm ready to go'.

 

As the instrumental jammed, the Pink Ladies, Dolores, and Francine, an energetic, vivacious `nerd-girl', got down, moving to the beat.

 

Switch to the main walkway of Rydell High, the students rocking out to the next verse of the intro.

 

_Geometry and History is just a pain!_

_Biology and Chemistry destroys my brain!_

_Don't they know that I deserve a better fate?_

_I'm really much too young to matriculate!_

_Well, Mama, please!_

_Your child's come down with a fatal disease!_

The student dancers stopped, and slowly start to crumple to the ground, emphasizing the `disease'.

_Mama said, "Come on, you lazy bum_

**_AND GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!!"_ **

The students jumped back up and continued their enthusiastic dance.

 

#  _"You gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

 

As the music continued, the newest generation of the T-Birds arrived on their Honda motorcycles.

 

The leader of the group, Johnny Nogerelli, decked out in black leather, was smoking as he and his lieutenant, Goose McKenzie, arrived. Riding in the side-car of Goose’s cycle was a younger, curly-haired, smaller T-Bird, Davey Jaworski.

Cutesy cheerleader twins, Stacie and Gracie, were swishing their pom-poms as Johnny combed back his v-shaped pompadour, watching the proceeding dancing.

_It's bye-bye fun!_

_Get your homework done!_

_It better be in by ten!"_

 

Before the T-Birds dismounted, 3 jock lettermen danced by, two in red, and the `leader', Brad, in white. The T-Birds couldn't give a crap about those preppy snots.

 

The T-Birds dismounted, joined by the last member of their group, Louis DiMucci, a tall fellow with hormones and baseball on his mind.

 

Before they could start towards the school, the Preppies danced right in front of them in the opposite direction. Those preppies made _Eugene_ look tough.

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa_

_I gotta go_

_Back to school again._

                **The T-Birds** (Kings of The School)

 

John Richard "Johnny" Nogerelli: The obvious leader; very handsome, Italian, extremely cocky and self-assured, but seemingly shallow and chauvinistic. He had a habit, either intentional or otherwise, of taking `big words' and mispronouncing them, to comical effect. Despite his flaws, though, he was a natural leader, and deeper than he let on. He was slightly short, perhaps 5'6, but powerfully built like a tank to compensate. Sporting all-black - jeans, shirt, jacket - and a Pompadour haircut that'd put `Knute Rockne’ actor Ronald Reagan to shame - he was the epitome of cool.

 

Bradley Samuel "Goose" McKenzie: The T-Bird's second-in-command. A couple inches taller than Johnny, fairly well built, lanky, and a totally mischievous wise-ass. However, he had a habit of parroting Johnny's every word or command, so he was a follower, but a pretty cool one. He wore more conventional `cool' clothes; Blue jeans, a gray shirt, and instead of leather, a black cloth jacket with gray lining.

 

Louis DiMucci: Italian, slim, hormone-driven, and a deep admirer of all things baseball, as was evident in his frequent use of baseball vernacular. He was always on the prowl to `slide into home base'. Maybe an inch taller than Johnny, he was no less cool. Louis strode down the walkway with a loose-limbed, confident swagger. His outfit of choice was a more subdued version of Johnny's, a white T-shirt, and a thinner leather jacket, a cool fashion harking back to the Happy Days of the bygone 1950s era.

 

David Adam "Davey" Jaworski: The youngest, smallest, most awkward of the T-Birds. Fresh faced and curly-haired, he was kind of a male version of Dolores, but not as spirited and cocky, and he had to work harder than the others at appearing `cool'. He was a also a follower, but being a year younger than the others and a high school senior suggested that he might have jumped a grade, at least in Middle School. One thing of note: When he laughs, it's a `Nwah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!' cackling, easily distinguishable. As he wasn't as financially `gifted' as his compatriots, Davey was the only T-Bird who was bereft of his own motorized transportation, therefore had to ride in Goose's motorcycle's side-car. He wore the same style of jacket as Johnny, but a red-white plaid shirt, and reddish-tinted cycling goggles.

 

"Senior year," Louis chimed in with his propensity for baseball analogies as they strode up the walkway, "The home stretch."

 

Davey chimed in with a smirk as he strode alongside his compatriots, "My old man wants me to go to junior college after grad."

 

Goose ribbed, a cigarette between his fingers, "Yeah? _Nerd_ junior college!"

 

Davey turned to Johnny and asked, "Hey, what are you gonna do, Johnny?"

 

The leader of the T-Birds, coolest of the cool, responded with just one word, "Sleep."

 

"Nah, I mean, what are you gonna be when you grow up?" Davey pressed.

 

Goose razzed, causing Davey and Louis to laugh, "A burden on society!" Even Johnny cracked a smile.

 

                Meanwhile, school grounds, the students were still dancing around to the instrumentals.

               

The twin girls, Stacie and Gracie, were very pretty, bubbly, ditzy cheerleader-types. White sweaters, red skirts, black chin-length hair. Cute as the dickens... _annoying as hell!_

 

They approached Miss Yvette Mason, Rydell's Music Appreciation Teacher.

 

Ms. Mason was `loaded for bear': Trim, curvy, well-proportioned, and stacked! Not just in the chest area, made prominent by her low-cut blue-green blouse and black lacey cape, but also her platinum blonde hair. Blonde tresses piled and stacked atop her head - not a bun exactly, more an upsweep of curls - which she was liberally spraying with hair spray, creating a near-impenetrable sheath of armor.

 

The twins rushed up to her and toadied up, in unison, "Hello, Ms. Mason!"

 

Ms. Mason responded with a lilt to her voice, hot enough to fracture glass, "Oh, hello, girls. Ready for a great new year?"

 

"Mm-hmm!" Stacie & Gracie nodded enthusiastically. Stacie said, staring at Ms. Mason's glorious updo, "I love your hair, Ms. Mason!"

 

Flattered, Ms. Mason patted her giant pile of hair appreciatively, "Oh… thanks!"

 

As soon as Ms. Mason left, Stacie & Gracie looked at each other, joking at the woman's apparent overabundance of hair, _"All three hundred pounds of it!"_

 

Ms. Mason came across the T-Birds. She was smokin' hot, she knew it, _they_ knew it. They were also _actually_ smoking, causing her to fan away the smoke after she holstered her hair spray.

 

"Hello, boys," she greeted the horn-dogs sweetly.

 

"Good morning, Ms. Mason," they responded.

 

She said in that sweet, sultry voice of hers, "Look, I'd love to see all of you in Music Appreciation this year, okay?" Apparently they had skipped out the previous semester.

 

Not missing a beat, Johnny said suggestively, "I'd like to see all of _you_ in Music Appreciation this year." Louis elbowed him playfully as Goose snickered.

 

Normally, a more strict female teacher would take offense at the entendre, but not Ms. Mason. She smiled as she said suggestively, "You just _might."_

_By all that’s holy and sacred, did she just indicate she might `bare all’ for the T-Birds??? Must be a new Music Appreciation enrollment incentive!_

 

After she departed, Davey cried out, **" _I think I'm in love!!"_ **

 

The music continued, the T-Birds atop the flagpole base, Pink Ladies in front, and students dancing, arms twirling. Ms. Mason joined in, the cheerleader twins flanking her, getting down with the radical beat.

 

Ms. Mason then realized that the movements have made her hair move too much. "Oh, my hair." She sprayed it with a generous if not toxic amount of hair spray. _Scientists may some day discover that this was the precise moment that the hole in the ozone appeared.._

 

As the song progressed instrumentally, Bruce Sanders, a music student, tried to muscle past the T-Birds, carrying his large double-bass, "Excuse me. Let me through, please!"

 

The T-Birds didn't take kindly to being shoved aside by a mere nerd. "What are you doing?!" "Watch it!" And then they chased after Bruce. _"Nerd!"_

 

                Elsewhere, the newest student of the school stepped off of a bus, dressed in a very proper suit, contrasting with the wild styles of the other students; Exchange Student Michael Carrington from England, perhaps Cambridge?

 

Young, exceptionally handsome, strongly built, extremely book-smart, but a bit naive. He was the cousin of Sandy Olsen-Zuko, whom was born in Cambridge to Australian parents, but raised in Australia. Due to that familial connection, Michael was technically a Rydell Legacy.

 

"Give me back my Rat-Tail," one of the departing girls called to her partner as they disembarked, needing her comb.

 

As Michael surveyed his surroundings, Frenchy Lefevre, the last of the original 1958 Pink Ladies - her hair no longer pink, dark coppery red now - arrived alongside him.

 

She was still at Rydell because she was held back after she dropped out to attend BeautySchool. She was as warm and chipper as ever.

 

She wasn't a Pink Lady anymore, as her generation - Betty Rizzo (Now Rizzo-Kenickie), Marty Maraschino, and Jan Alexander-Olivander - had graduated, but she was friends with the current generation, perhaps a mentor, and still had her old jacket somewhere safe.

 

"Michael?" She asked in her trademark high-pitched yet lyrical voice.

 

He saw her, and apparently recognized her from a description he was given. "Uh… Frenchy?" She nodded vigorously as they shook hands, "Hello. Hi. Uh, thanks for meeting me."

 

She said enthusiastically, "Oh, listen, when your cousin Sandy said you were coming to school in America, I said, `Sandy, any cousin of yours is a cousin of mine!'"

 

As they started walking past the parked busses, Michael said, "Yes, she did say you were the one who'd know the ropes around here."

 

Frenchy replied, "Oh, ropes are my specialty. See, I used to go to Rydell before I dropped out to go to beauty school, but then I flunked Tinting when my hair turned pink."

 

 _"Pink?"_ He asked in surprise.

 

"Mm-hmm."

 

                Meanwhile... across the school Grounds, The Pink Ladies were up. Even though she was not official, even Dolores belted out the mantra:

_  
_

_The Pink Ladies pledge:_

_To act cool._

_To look cool..._

_and to_ be _cool._

_'Til death do us part..._

**_Think Pink!_ **

 

The Pink Ladies swept past the T-Birds, eliciting a, **_"Whoaaa!!!"_** from Davey.

 

The T-Birds greeted the Pink Ladies, “How ya doin’, ladies?”

 

The girls rushed past the T-Birds and greeted, “Hi, guys!”

 

Dolores dashed by, and gave Davey the Italian `screw you’ chin-flick. Perhaps off school grounds, they had a history.

 

“Your motha...” Davey retorted, returning to his place next to the T-Birds.

 

                Back to Michael and Frenchy as she continued, "But now the most important thing in my life is skin care."

 

"So, uh, tinting's out and, uh, skin care's in??" He ventured.

 

"Right! That's why I'm back at Rydell. To get my Chemistry so I can mix my own cosmetics."

 

"Makes sense," he said agreeably. He couldn't find fault with her logic, as cosmetics _are_ chemicals, after all, and could be made in-house at the school.

 

He smiled and looked back towards the school. This looked to be a the start of a great school year. He'd already made a new friend. No telling how many more friends he was going to make. If they were as sweet as Frenchy, he was going to have a _very_ good time here. `Bring it, Rydell!'

 

                Across the school Grounds, Artie Tennant, Bernie, and Donna Singer jammed out in the lawn as the music continued

 

_I got my books together_

_and I dragged my feet._

_And then I saw this angel_

_Boppin' down the street._

_I said, "Hey, pretty baby,_

_how's about a date?"_

_She said, "I'm goin' to school_

_and I can't be late... "_

 

A growling brindle-coat Boxer was nipping at the ankles of Coach Sidney Calhoun, Rydell's veteran athletics teacher. He was one of the best athletics teachers and coaches in the entire school district. Enthusiastic, `give 'em hell', and Gung-Ho! What set him apart from some other coaches was that he cared about his charges, as during the 58-59 semester, he had gone out of his way to help former T-Bird leader, Danny Zuko, find a sport that he could handle, helping him choose Track and Field.

 

He was still going strong, a young man despite his years, his physique as youthful those of his athletic students, if not stronger. If Johnny was built like a tank, Calhoun was a Howitzer! And he was trying to recruit as many fresh new athletes as he could to get Rydell out of their now _9_ -season slump! He was the best coach in the district, but not always the most successful, but he never gave up!

 

He took no notice of the dog as he lead some of the students in basketball techniques. "Hey, basketball." He tossed the ball to a student, who instinctively caught it, the sign of a potential athlete, "You caught it! How tall are you? Never mind. We'll put high heels on your sneakers and we’ll make you a center." He tossed ball over to the student, "Here you are, go catch that! Oh, boy! Basketball, basketball, basketball!"

 

_Well, I can see,_

_that look in her eyes was sayin' "Follow me,"_

_And I was caught -_

_I thought of playing hooky,_

_but on second thought,_

Aurelio, Chuck McGovern and Dennis Jimenez were moving along to the music, and dribbling their red-white-&-blue basketballs across the path with intense precision.

 

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

_You won't find me_

_til the clock strikes three;_

_I'm gonna be there 'til then..._

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

 

A gaggle of students piled up at the entrance, heading up, then down, then back up the steps.

 

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to school..._

 

Goose was proudly carrying Bruce’s bass-guitar case, playing Keep-Away. "Thank you, thank you very much," he `saluted' the students he was walking past.

 

Bruce cried, **_"Come on, give it back!"_** but Goose pushed him into some bushes.

 

"Hey, have a nice trip. See you next Fall!"

 

As this proceeded, Mrs. McGee and Blanche opened the blinds from their office window, and watched in alarm.

 

Below them, a wave of students charged through the entrance like a riptide.

 

In the far background, Michael and Frenchy were still by the Pink Ladies’ car as Stacie and Gracie ascended the stairs with their significant others. The T-Birds followed, jumping into the air, arms straight, hands down, cheering, _"Yeah!"_

 

The song neared its conclusion as the T-Birds got to the school's entry foyer.

 

As the Pink ladies were still moving to the music, Johnny stopped just outside the doors, and commanded, "Hold it, Birds." They came to a stop. He snapped his fingers and ordered, "Comb!" Goose gave Johnny a comb. He brushed his Pompadour, then indicated the entrance, pointing, "Door."

 

Davey rushed to the door and gallantly opened it, gesturing to the entrance with a flourish as he held the door as a gaggle of girls rushed past, to the enjoyment of the hormonally driven T-Birds.

 

Sharon cheered, "I can't wait!"

 

"Pardonne-moi!"

 

After the T-Birds ushered the girls into the school, Johnny smiled to his friends, flicked away his cigarette, the others followed suit, and said, "Gentlemen... _start your engines."_

 

Frenchy and Michael walked together towards the entrance as the song finally reached its climax, and piles upon piles of students were crammed in the windows and the main doorway.

 

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to schoo-hool..._

She said reassuringly, "You're going to _love_ Rydell!"

 

The dancing students finally dispersed – one guy could be seen carrying his girlfriend over his shoulder, her pounding on his back - as Michael and Frenchy continued on.

 

Before they made it to the entrance, a lone student tear-assed towards the front of the school, jumped a hedge, jumped another hedge, and took a _flying leap_ into one of the open windows!

_...again!_

 

As the doors closed, we pan up to see Bruce’s bass hanging from the flagpole, under the American flag.

 


	3. Part 2: The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school, and Michael Carrington has met - and annoyed - the T-Birds, and met the girl of his dreams, Stephanie Zinone. Frenchy realizes how difficult her goal of being a beautician can be - especially with the wrong ingredients. And poor Mr. Spears is apparently not quite recovered from his `mental exhaustion', as a prank by T-Bird Louis DiMucci proves, with hilarious results.  
> Side-Note: Francine might look `nerdy' but she's as beautiful and as devious as any pink lady.

**Part 2: The First Day**

 

                Int. Hallways, Lockers

 

Rhonda was inspecting her face in her locker's mirror, critiquing her nose, which she believed wasn't just right.

 

"From the front this is a perfect nose. From the side, the nose does _not_ belong on this face."

 

Steph chimed in, "So dump the face and keep the nose."

 

Paulette noticed how Sharon was dressed, and asked, "What's the new look, Sharon?"

 

"Jackie Kennedy," She answered proudly, "It only landed her a president."

 

Paulette added, "Well, the movie magazines say that J.F.K. secretly prefers the Marilyn Monroe look." And Paulette was pushing that look to its maximum.

 

Johnny approached as the Pink Ladies stored their gear. Paulette had the hots for him, but he had eyes for Stephanie, and was oblivious to Paulette's advances. Well, not really oblivious, but more interested in Stephanie.

 

Paulette fawned, "Hi, Johnny!"

 

"Yeah," He responded offhand, focused on Steph.

 

Paulette cooed, "Oh, I really like your hair in the back. It looks really cool!"

 

He winked, dismissive, "Thanks." And went back to eyeing Steph.

 

Goose saw Steph packing away what looked to be a pair of coveralls and ribbed her, fingering the work clothes, "Ooh, I see you're still giving lube jobs at the old man's service station, huh?"

 

"Stuff it, Goose," she responded sourly, yanking the work clothes out of his grip.

 

As Goose retreated, Johnny slid closer. He’d heard about her change of heart about him, and asked, "So, what's the story, Stephanie?"

 

"Yeah, what's the story?" Goose echoed. Johnny slapped him lightly on the chest to indicate that this was a private conversation. "Sorry!" Goose replied and departed.

 

She replied, not really wanting to have this conversation, "You know the story, Johnny. It's over."

 

Paulette perked up at that, as she had her sights on him.

 

That was not news Johnny wanted to hear. "Yeah? Yeah? Well, that's not good enough."

 

 _"Don't make a scene, okay?"_ Steph protested softly, trying not to attract too much attention.

 

"What? What? There's no scene," he replied defensively.

 

Davey and Louis arrived, unaware of the goings-on, "Hey, Johnny!"

 

Louis echoed, "Hey, Johnny... What scene?"

 

Johnny grabbed Louis' jacket lapels and yelled, **_"There's no scene, all right?!"_**

 

Taken aback, Louis responded in surprise, "Sor- _reee!_ Sheesh." Freed, Louis had his sights set now on Sharon, his lady.

 

She came up to him, taking the long-stemmed cigarette holder from her mouth, "Hi, Louis."

 

"Hello… to you," he responded, kissing her deeply.

 

Goose had his sights set on Rhonda, and her open locker, whose door was littered with pics of singers and actors. He saw a picture on the inside of her locker door and asked, "What's this? The Vince Fontaine National Li-bary?"

 

Louis joked, "Quiet, please!"

 

She replied, used to the flak, "Laugh, you jerks, but wait till _I_ turn up on National Bandstand."

 

Goose razzed, "You may turn _up_ on the bandstand, but your beak will still be turning…"

 

He pushed his nose down, Louis joining in, making fun of hers, " _down!"_

 

Goose, Louis, and Davey laughed, holding down their noses as Sharon giggled, "You're mean!"

 

Rhonda made up her mind, "I gotta do it. The nose goes! Bandstand... here I come!" She headed to class.

 

Paulette cautioned, "Rhonda, I wouldn't fool around with Mother Nature if I were you."

 

Sharon ribbed, "You fooled around with everyone else, Paulette."

 

"Aww, shut up!" Paulette retorted.

 

As they headed to class, one of the student asked another, "Who you got for homeroom?" Which the other answered, "Yvette Mason."

 

Down the hall came Francine Austin, her hair done in two very long braids. She looked a _little_ geeky, bookish, wearing thick glasses, her feminine curves hidden by a mocha & cream plaid skirt with matching sweater-vest, and a long-sleeved white blouse. However, there was no denying that, despite the `nerdy' get-up, she was _really_ pretty, the equal of any Pink lady in attractiveness and deviousness.

 

She passed classmates Bernie Dillard and his girlfriend Helen Andrews as they chatted near the lockers, then she noticed Steph's unusual mode of dress.

 

“Mmm… pants," She stated.

 

It wasn't meant sarcastically, as Francine had a good rapport with the Pink Ladies, it was more `That's an unusual look for you,' as Stephanie Zinone had previously worn less conservative clothes in the previous semester.

 

Steph realized that she wasn't wearing her usual clothes, so she retreated to her locker to change, pushing past Vicki Hunt and Sandi Green, “Excuse me.”

 

"Hi, Paulette," Francine said as she swung by to head to her classroom, "Hi, Willie," to her boyfriend, Willie Willard.

 

Willie responded, "Hi, Francine," as they entered their classrooms.

 

                Elsewhere, Michael was being escorted though the main hallway by Eugene, who was speaking to Michael as they walked – loudly and slowly, enunciating as if Michael was a foreigner who didn’t understand the English language at all. Michael was from England… birthplace _of_ English. However, Eugene was _never_ a nasty person - slightly pompous perhaps - but never mean-spirited. He might have thought that Michael may not understand the American accent, especially with all of the slang flying around.

 

"How long.. have you.. been in.. America?"

 

Michael answered smoothly, patiently, "Just about week. I'm staying with my aunt and uncle."

 

"Oh.”

 

As they conversed, Steph was busily sliding her tan skirt over her gray pants.

 

Back to Michael and Eugene, who pointed out, “These are the lockers. Take a locker and _lock_ it. Yeah, because these guys will steal every..."

 

He then saw potential trouble coming their way, and departed, "...thing."

 

"Thanks." Michael reached to open a locker. When it was open only 2 inches, a hand shot out, slamming the locker shut.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Davey demanded in as tough a tone as he could manage.

 

Johnny and Goose, standing near the water fountain, saw the invasion of `their turf' by a newbie. That would not do.

 

Michael backed away as had heard that some Americans took their tough images seriously, but this was taking it a bit too far.

 

“Hi,” he said, backing up, trying to ease out of a possible conflict as the rest of the T-Birds arrived, "I was just putting a few things in my locker."

 

 _"His_ locker?!" They responded in amused disbelief.

 

"Excuse us," Goose stated as Johnny stepped up, indicating the lockers, which, as we may now see, had graffiti on them.

_"No one_ touches these lockers, okay, Pal?" Johnny explained, hand on the locker, indicating the T-Bird logo on the doors and frames, "Whatsamatter, you can't read? That spells _T-Bird!"_

 

"Which spells _us."_ Goose pointed out, indicating his buddies.

 

Johnny lovingly caressed the locker, _"This_ is a protected landmark."

 

Louis added, pointing, "A slice of American his-to-ry."

 

They slammed open `Michael's' locker, revealing T-Bird mementos and curios, and a license plate that read DXJ 042.

 

The T-Birds hummed in harmony, "Humm, hummm, _hummm!"_ to emphasize their position.

 

Johnny snapped his fingers, the T-Birds fell silent, smirking at Michael, and concluded, "Dig?"

 

"I think I understand,” Michael replied evenly.

 

Johnny, appeased, responded cheerfully, "Good! A real Einstein!"

 

As Davey smacked a few open lockers shut as they walked down the hallway, Michael introduced himself, "By the way, my name's Michael Carrington."

 

Goose mocked, his hand out as if to shake, "Well, I'm the Duke of Earl." As Michael tried to shake hands, Goose flipped his thumb up and, _"Arg!"_ `Gotcha'.

 

As they entered another row of lockers, Johnny glanced at an open locker, then said, "Yeah, well, this is your new locker, Shakespeare," and shoved Michael towards the open one, snickering as they headed down the hall.

 

Goose quipped, _"Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl."_

 

They kept razzing as they walked on. Johnny chimed in, "A perfect fit!"

 

Louis bemoaned, "We're being invaded by foreigners."

 

Stephanie, who was changing into a skirt from her work pants, saw the not-quite friendly exchange and asked, "Are you OK?"

 

"Yeah, fine, thanks." He then saw how heart-joltingly stunning she was and he was mesmerized.

"Look, don't let these guys bug ya," Steph chuckled lightly. She knew the guys, they were just horsing around.

 

Michael found his voice and said softly, stunned, "I won't, don't worry. Uh…." He faltered, unsure, his heart shaken. He stared as she walked away, like a deer caught in headlights.

 

                In the hallway outside of class, as they filed into Ms. Mason's room, Steph approached the T-Birds and demanded, "When are you guys gonna grow up?"

 

"Look, the nerd invaded our sacred turf," Goose responded, indicating his compadres.

 

_Oddly, no one seemed to notice the odd fellow who was standing on the classroom's heaters, behind Johnny, acting like he was scaling the windows._

 

Johnny came up to Steph, "Hey, come on. I wanna talk to you. Meet me for a smoke after class."

 

"I quit. It's bad for your health," she responded, in no mood to reiterate her reasons for breaking up.

 

“Yeah? Well, standing me up is also bad for your health," he remarked, not willing to let it go.

 

"Says who?"

 

Goose chimed in, "Says the Sturgeon General of The United States, Stephanie."

 

As they got settled, Ms. Mason turned from writing her name on the blackboard. When her ample chest was pointed at the class, it was a safe bet that several student's voices went from Soprano to Bass!

 

As she was greeted by wolf whistles, she placed her stuff on the desk, acknowledged them with a smirk, then became totally serious, a professional, no BS. To paraphrase original T-Bird, Sonny LaTierri, `“She don’t take no crap from nobody!”’

 

She waved them down, "All right, all right, everyone, please, take a seat."

 

Goose lived up to his nickname as he tweaked the tushie of Olivia Jones, a very pretty girl, _"I got mine! Arg!"_

 

Olivia squealed playfully and ran to her seat, half-heartedly swinging her purse at him as he hopped a few steps back, "You loved it."

 

Ms. Mason stared at Goose, annoyed at the interruption.

 

The class settled in; Steph read her Road & Track magazine, Johnny combed his hair, and Michael sat staring ahead, ready to learn.

 

During the student's rush to find their seats, someone almost clipped Rhonda and she cried out, "God, watch the nose!"

 

                Meanwhile, in the principal's office, as Mrs. McGee tried to make the announcement, Blanche played `SwaneeRiver' as the welcoming tune on her xylophone: **_(Dink-dinkle-dink-d-dink, DINK-d-dink-dink! Dink-dink-d-d-d-dink-d-dink...)_** Mrs. McGee clapped her hand on the xylophone. It `Dinkled', then was silent.

 

"Good morning, Rydell, and welcome one and all to a new school year. I know this is going to be an exciting and stimulating year for all of us."

 

                In Mr. Spears' class, the students listened half-heartedly to the announcement, thoroughly ­ _un-_ stimulated,

**_"First, I'd like to welcome back our own Mr. Spears..."_**

 

Mr. Spears, trembling wildly, had a handful of pills in one hand and a glass of water he filled with a pitcher in the other. He was shakily trying to take them, and he was a nervous wreck.

 

**_"...who made such a miraculous recovery from the mental exhaustion which sent him to the hospital last spring."_**

 

Mr. Spears was shakily gulping his pills as McGee continued overhead, some stuck to his lips, looking like he had buckteeth.

 

As Mrs. McGee kept talking, Louis snuck up behind Roy Luther’s girlfriend, Vicki Hunt, dozing at her desk, a rat in his hands. Sharon, Aurelio, Roy, Robert Garrett (R.G.), Willie, and Francine were watching with interest as Louis deposited the furry fellow onto Vicki's desk.

 

**_"Welcome back, Mr. Spears. We're all rooting for you!"_**

 

And at that exact moment, as Mr. Spears was gulping his water, the rat entered the Vicki's shirt, and she shrieked as she flung herself away from the furry critter, _“ **AHHHH!!! OH!!!”**_

 

Mr. Spears' frayed nerves snapped, and he collapsed face-first on the desk like a marionette with its strings cut. _Time for a new teacher, methinks._

 

 

                In the Chemistry lab, Frenchy was at a table full of beakers and flasks and tubes, mixing up some homemade cosmetics for a fellow student who was standing nearby, Frenchy’s cosmetics guinea pig.

 

Frenchy poured a chemical into the mixing container, and it immediately began to belch blue-gray smoke as she stared at in worriedly. _Wrong ingredient, perhaps, or too much?_

 

                Ms. Mason's classroom: The students were bored, listless, as they heard McGee's announcements.

 

**_“Now, Rydell is very proud of our extra-curricular activities…"_ **

 

In the office, Mrs. McGee continued, "So please come out for band try-outs.”

 

Back in Ms. Mason's classroom…

 

**_“If you play an instrument, it's better to play with a group than with yourself."_ **

 

Artie laughed aloud at the unintended double-entendre as Steph, Rhonda, and Goose sniggered behind him.

**_"Auditions for the June Moon Talent Show will be held next month."_**

 

Back in the lab, as Stacie, Gracie, and Brad watched in amusement, Frenchy's concoction was now projectile-vomiting blue-gray smoke as the others behind her giggled. Frenchy herself stared in horror at her disastrous creation, then slowly began to duck under the table.

 

 ** _PWAASH!!!_** The concoction exploded wetly, sending several of the laughing students scrambling for cover.

 

Back in the classroom…

 

**_"Come out one and all. You could win 100 long-playing records."_ **

 

Now that had the student's attention!

 

Goose was seated with Rhonda at her desk, carving their initials into it with a switchblade.

 

“Goose,” Rhonda pointed to the inscription.

 

“Rhonda,” Goose replied, still digging away with his knife.

 

Meanwhile, Johnny stared at Steph from his chair as she ignored him while she read her magazine.

 

**_"Last but not least, we are fortunate to have a straight- 'A' student all the way from_ ** **_England_ ** **_, by the name of Michael Carrington."_ **

 

The students looked around to see if they could identify the newbie.

 

"Stand up, Michael," Ms. Mason prompted.

 

He reluctantly stood, on the spot. Steph looked at him, then turned away, disinterested, her expression saying `Gawd, what a nerd’.

 

Ms. Mason continued, "All right, now, let's all say `hello' to Michael Carrington."

 

The class, T-Birds included - sans Steph, who was still reading her magazine - turned to him and echoed dully, _**"`Hello' to Michael Carrington!"**_

 

Michael smiled, nodded, then sat back down, embarrassed.

 

                Back in the office, Mrs. McGee concluded with enthusiasm, "Let's have a wonderful year!"


	4. Part 3: Extracurricular Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tuesday, 9-12,1961, the school year is off to a good start. Michael is honing his trim physique on he track, but he's accosted by the annoying cheerleader twins, Stacie and Gracie, who need him to play the piano for the upcoming June Moon Talent Show.  
> Upon learning that Michael is smitten with Pink Lady leader, Stephanie, Frenchy warns him that Steph's out-of-bounds, which makes Michael want to joint the T-Birds.  
> The T-Birds are also on the field, pushing a tackling sled - shoving poor Coach Calhoun into an open ditch - but their exercise is interrupted by the original T-Birds nemesis, Leo "Crater-Face" Balmudo, and his new Cycle Lords gang. When the T-Birds falter in the face of a greater opponent, Michael realizes they aren't as tough as they pretend to be.

**Part 3: Extracurricular Activities**

 

                Tuesday, 9-12

 

Blanche, wearing a Rydell sweater and bandleader-type hat, was leading the Rydell Team cheerleaders, and cried over the megaphone, **_"Rydell High, beat the Cavaliers!"_**

The marching band, all arranged so their formation spelled `RYDELL', cried out as one, **_"Rydell High, beat the Cavaliers!"_**

 

As a Rydell athletics student did a very decent pole-vault…

 

…the Pink Ladies walked across the field, through the band formation, Paulette asking Stephanie, "What's the story with you and Johnny?"

 

Steph had matured over the school break and decided that she could no longer stand Johnny's chauvinistic ways, "Let's just say I outgrew him over the summer."

 

"Well, he sure hasn't lost the hots for you," Paulette replied. Although, their breakup would be a boon for Paulette, who was as smitten with Johnny as he was with Stephanie. But, she would tread lightly, since interfering with T-Bird to Pink Lady relations was taboo, against the `code’ (Rule 6: No Pink Lady is allowed to interfere with other Pink Lady to T-Bird relationships.) And Steph was her friend to boot.

 

Steph snorted in annoyance, "Johnny hasn't learned when you're dead, lie down. Besides, there's gotta be more to life than just makin’ out."

 

"You know, I never thought of it that way," Paulette admitted.

 

Meanwhile, on the track, Michael was jogging, keeping up his trim physique. Built like a Greek God, he was _still_ considered a `nerd’ by the Cool Crowd.

 

However, he _did_ catch the attention of some of the Rydell girls, though; The Doublemint Twins - cough... _cheerleaders_ \- Stacie & Gracie. They were as popular in Rydell as a case of skin rash. If `irritating’ took a human form, it was those twins.

**_“Michael?!”_** Gracie called from the bleachers and ran down to intercept him.

 

“Michael?” Stacie asked as they kept up with him, "I heard you know how to play the piano!"

 

He admitted, jogging backwards, "Who'd you hear that from? Well, I can a bit."

 

Gracie prodded, "Ah! Then you _must_ play for the talent show audition." They dashed in front of him, halting his progress, "I will _not_ take `no' for an answer!"

 

Frenchy arrived nearby, saw him, and called out cheerfully, _"Michael!"_

 

Michael stood there, contemplating their `request'… which sounded more like a demand, actually.

 

 _"Well?"_ Stacie pleaded.

 

They were a mite annoying, but ditzy-cute, so he acquiesced, "OK, I'll do it. Why not?" He pinched Stacie's chin gently, then continued jogging.

 

Gracie admitted, after he'd left, "Oh, I think he's kinda cute."

 

While Blanche could be spied leading the band in the background, the Pink Ladies saw their twin `rivals', and Sharon razzed, **_"Virgin alert! Virgin alert!"_**

 

Steph jabbed, **_"All male periscopes down!_**

 

As the Twins left in a huff, Rhonda made a gag-me gesture with her finger on her tongue, _"Eugh!'_

 

As the Pink Ladies departed, Michael stopped jogging, and had met up at the northwest fence with Frenchy, who asked, "How's your first week been?"

 

He answered as he leaned up against the fence separating them, "Great. Yours?"

 

She was really into her new field of study, and replied happily, "Oh, there's a fascinating world of chemistry out there!"

 

"Yeah, I know," and he wasn't thinking about the chemicals she was referring to. He was thinking Birds And The Bees as he watched Stephanie from afar, "How well do you know that Stephanie Zinone?"

 

"Oh, Stephanie Zinone is one of my very best..." She then realized what he was on about and cautioned, "Uh-oh. Michael?" He leaned back a bit to listen, yet still gazing at Steph, "There's something you don't understand. You see, Stephanie Zinone is a Pink Lady. If you're not a T-Bird - which you are _not -_ you can look, but don't touch." Michael still stared at Stephanie with longing as she followed her fellow Pink Ladies along the perimeter of the fence. "Michael?" He turned to her as she concluded, "...I wouldn't even look."

 

He would not be deterred, "Well, then, how do you become one of these T-Birds, then... eh?"

 

"Well, uh..." she floundered as he walked away, lost in thought.

 

Elsewhere, on the north of the field, while a few other students were doing jumping jacks in the background, Coach Calhoun was drilling the T-Birds, using a Tackling Sled, which players have to push to simulate trying to get past the opposing team's defensive line, their jackets draped over it. Calhoun was standing on the device, trying to get the boys to put effort into it.

 

"Like I told you before, football is like life! You got to push! You got to push your way through life! You gotta push and elbow! Come on, push! I want you to push those men out of the way! **_Elbow 'em, then bite 'em, then rip 'em, then chew 'em up! Come on, push-push-push-push-push!!”_**

 

The Pink Ladies were watching, adding their own encouragement: Paulette cried out, "Come on, push!" while Sharon cheered, "Push, _push!"_

****

**_"Attaboy! Spit ‘em out and chew 'em up!"_** Calhoun drilled the T-Birds, who realized they were pushing the sled towards an open ditch in the edge of the field - open for repairs to the scoreboard behind Calhoun - and they stopped.

 

Calhoun thought they were wimping out, and motivated, **_"Aww, come on, come on! Don't you have any Spunk?! Come on! You're like a bunch of old turkeys!"_**

 

Johnny shrugged `oh what the hell', clapped his hands, whistled **_(WHEE-TOOT!)_** , and pointed in the direction they were pushing... right to the edge of the hole.

 

Unaware, Calhoun still drilled, **_"Come on, don’t you guys know how to push…?!"_**

****

Then he realized his mistake, arms flailing, yelling as he fell backward, " ** _Ah, yuh-yah-yah, YAH-YAH!!"_** as he landed in the hole, **_“Yee-ach!!”_**

 

"You said `push'," Johnny reasoned.

 

They heard the sound of motorcycles and looked over to see their rivals, the Cycle Lords, a local gang of motorcycle degenerates who lived only to torment Rydell and the T-Birds, cruising towards them on the west track..

 

"Check _this_ out," Johnny stated as he saw the cyclers' arrival.

 

Davey asked in confusion, "What are they doing here?"

 

The T-Birds responded to this affront as best they could by slipping on their jackets as the Cycle Lords sidled up. Only the T-Birds could wear leather jackets and gym shorts and still look cool.

 

The Cycle Lords’ leader was a familiar craggy face; Leo Balmudo, former leader of the 1958 T-Birds' rivals, the Scorpions, flanked by Freddie `Dicer' Dice, his right-hand man.

 

Balmudo was just as warm and sociable as ever. When pigs fly. Though not necessarily ugly, he _was_ mean-looking, and lived up to that impression.

 

As several Rydell students lined up at the fence, jeering the intruders `Get those bikes off the track!’, Balmudo leaned forward, smirked, adjusted his sunglasses. “Nogerelli."

 

It wasn't a greeting per se, more `I’m on your turf. Make your move, tough guy.'

 

"Balmudo," Johnny replied, standing his ground.

Goose knew how mean these guys could be, and said nervously to Johnny, "These cocka-roaches are gonna invade our turf _one time_ too many."

 

Louis talked tough, "We should take care of them tonight."

 

It was an empty threat, as the Cycle Lords outnumbered them. Freddie tapped Balmudo on the back, silently saying `Get a load of that dork, talking tough like that'.

 

Johnny, usually the confident one, was a bit shaken at the thought of a brawl. He may be tough, but the Cycle Lords against four T-Birds was not very good odds.

 

He lit up a cigarette to steel himself, and tried to talk confidently, but his voice cracked, _"Toni_...," he caught himself, and said normally, "Tonight... we bowl."

 

Davey leapt forward, overconfident, **_"Hey, you're lucky! We're bowling tonight!"_** He slapped Louis on the shoulder, eliciting an `Easy, don't lose your head / don't touch the jacket!' gesture from him.

 

Balmudo knew he was a match for the tough-talking T-Birds. He replied with a smile, adjusting his sunglasses again, amused at the smallest T-Bird's bravado, "I like that."

 

Their work done, Balmudo and his Cycle Lords departed.

 

When their rivals motored away, Goose `bravely' snapped, "Ah, _haul!'_

 

As the Cycle Lords motored past, the Pink Ladies flirted with them.

 

"Better write your will, boy," Louis muttered as they walked away, back to the field.

 

Michael came closer and watched the departure of the motorcycle thugs.

 

So the T-Birds weren't as tough as they pretended to be. Maybe he could get closer to socializing with Steph.

 

One of the Cycle Lords leered at the girls, _"Hey, baby, check your oil for ya?"_

 

"Whoooo! Hi, tough stuff!" Sharon responded, flirting. She then turned to the T-Birds and asked, "Hey! Are we bowling tonight?"

 

"That's right!' Johnny responded, then pointed to Paulette, reaffirming his manhood, "And Paulette…?"

 

"Yeah, Johnny??" She cooed, in a `He notices me!' breathy voice.

 

He pointed confidently as Davey lit up a smoke, "I want _you_ to look special, dig?"

 

"No problem," she breathed back.

 

While they conversed, Michael inched forward, trying to get closer. The T-Birds and Pink Ladies departed, and Michael tried to go up to talk to Steph, but the marching band tromped past, playing `Glory Glory, Hallelujah’, blocking him.

 

Michael stared in frustration as the band blocked his view of the girl of his dreams.

**  
**


	5. Part 4: Bowl Me Over (Score Tonight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night of fun and sexual innuendo at the local Bowl-A-Rama.

**Part 4: Bowl Me Over**

**(Score Tonight)**

 

                Tuesday night, the Bowl-A-Rama, a popular hang-out for the teens and tweens of the town.

 

WHAM! A set of pins was knocked down by an expert shot.

 

Goose dashed like a maniac down the bowling lane - an `illegal' act – and despite protests of "No, _no, **no!!”**_ from the players from the lane to his right, he threw the ball... and it landed in their lane! A strike!

 

 ** _“Whoo! HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAA!!”_** He danced back, laughing.

 

Johnny fired his ball off... and only knocked down two pins.

 

He leapt up, pumped his arms in victory as the T-Birds cheered, **_"Hey, Johnny! / Oh, yeah, John-nay!"_**

 

The way the went on, it was like Johnny had bowled a perfect game.

 

Paulette rushed up to him, and caressed his hair, **_"Way to go, Johnny!"_**

 

"Hey-hey-hey, Paulette...!" He cautioned gently, _"Do not mess the hair."_

 

"I'm sorry," She cooed, backing up a bit.

 

Sharon protested, "Hey, Paulette. Whose side are you on?"

 

 _"Our_ side."

 

Steph pulled Paulette away from Johnny as Rhonda demanded, "Then don't fraternize with the enemy!"

 

Johnny said confidently, "Mark that a strike."

 

"What are you talking about? You hit two lousy pins," Steph stated.

 

Johnny reasoned, "That is a _technical_ strike, due to the fact that youse chicks were late. Read your bowling rules!"

 

Goose quipped, "That's right!”

 

“Yeah,” Davey sniggered, falling in step with his superiors.

 

“Read 'em and weep!" Goose finished.

 

"That's not fair," Paulette complained.

 

Dolores was struggling with her sweater, and griped, tugging at her shoulder, "This bra's killing me!"

 

"You wish!" Paulette snapped at her little sister, who glared right back at her. Sibling rivalry at its finest.

 

Johnny was drinking a beer he and the T-Birds got with their fake IDs, when he noticed Paulette holding her bowling ball oddly.

 

"Hey, Paulette!" She turned and looked at him, "You gotta put your fingers in the holes!"

 

She showed off her fingernails, "I'm not breaking my nails!" She smirked `so there', then returned to her lane.

 

As she slinked over to take her shot, Louis noticed that Johnny had been paying more attention to her lately, "You got something going with Paulette?"

 

Johnny replied, smiling, "Let’s say I'm giving her _therapy_ for her disease."

 

Goose asked, confused, as Paulette seemed healthy to him, "What disease?"

 

She bent over, showing off her magnificent rump, encased in tight gold-lame, and released the ball.

_"Nymphoid-mania."_

 

Louis laughed deeply at his well-placed if mispronounced remark, though Goose looked confused by the term.

 

Paulette turned and smirked as her ball rolled slowly to it's destination: A strike.

 

She stood, smiled in victory, and strode to Johnny, who actually smiled back, impressed.

 

As they got back together at the scoring desks, Sharon asked, "What's the final score?"

 

"Final score... happens later tonight," Johnny said suggestively as he took Paulette's hand. He then turned and announced, "Last game, winner take all. Agreed?"

 

"Will ya shoot the ball?" Steph prompted.

 

Goose prompted, "Shoot the ball!"

 

Johnny and Paulette were about to kiss when everybody snapped, **_"SHOOT THE BALL!"_**

 

Johnny blinked in surprise, then looked at them quizzically, since that verbal blast was right in his ear.

 

And now - his eardrums obviously unaffected by that blast - Johnny was ready to show them `how it's done'. He slicked back his hair and...

 

_Come on, everybody_

_Gather round._

_I'm gonna show you_

_how to knock 'em down._

_When I’m on the ball_

_I'm the number one._

_And I'm gonna show you_

_how it's done_

 

_All:_

_Let's bowl, let's bowl_

_Let's rock 'n' roll._

_Hey, come on_

_Let's get the show on the road!_

_Let's bowl, let's bowl_

_Let's rock 'n' roll!_

_Girls:_

_You're sittin' on a bomb_

_That's about to explode_

 

Stacie and her Brad were at the score desk, followed by Gracie and her date.

 

_We're gonna sco-o-ore tonight_

 

_Artie and Sandi:_

_We're gonna sc-o-ore toni-ight_

 

Nuns and Delivery drivers faced off as the T-Birds and Pink Ladies played tug-of-war with a Paulette

 

_If you're lookin' for a fight_

_Then the time is right_

Roy and Vicki tossed in their verse, and were `challenged' by Bernie and Helen.

_We're gonna wipe the floor_

_With you tonight_

_All:_

_We're gonna sc-o-ore tonight_

 

Francine and Willie were getting in on the groove, too!

 

Chuck McGovern and Lucy Dickens, dressed in light pink, popped up and added their verse.

_We're gonna sco-o-ore toni-ight!_

 

##  _We're gonna rock, we're gonna roll_

_We're gonna bop, we're gonna bowl_

_We're gonna score, score,_

_score, score, sco-o-o-ore...tonight!_

 

First on the bowling ball firing squads were a nun, Vicki, the twins, and Dallace, beating the hell out of the pins; Strike after strike. A bad time to be a bowling pin!

 

Another nun took aim and rocketed off another shot as Rhonda fired off her own shot while Goose boogied behind.

 

Vicki, Helen, Sharon, and Rhonda fired off their shots as Francine, Dennis, Evie, Donna, and R.G. knocked down another set of pins. Vicki and Helen spun and threw their arms up in victory.

 

Francine, Evie, Donna, and R.G. boogied on down as they pulverized the pins.

 

Johnny jumped, spun, fired off a cannonball shot, and practically disintegrated the pins in a strike.

 

Dancing and bowling everywhere! Bernie and Roy sliding down the lane on their stomachs, jumps, and leaps. Organized chaos.

 

Johnny dashed down the lane, slid on his knees, howling in harmony to the music, **_"Ahhhh-ahhhh-ahhhh-ahhhhh!!!!"_**

 

While several spectators on the upper balcony watched with fascination, Johnny slid on his knees towards Paulette, arms waving seductively as she slinked towards him.

 

_Hey, Paulette, take a look over here._

_I'm your kingpin, honey,_

_And I’m gettin' in gear!_

 

She sang back as he leaned backwards as far as he could go…

_Hey, Johnny, Johnny,_

_Go for that strike,_

_And I just might be your baby tonight!_

 

_Let's bowl, let's bowl_

_Let's rock 'n' roll_

Dolores was riding piggyback on Goose while Steph belted out the next verse,

_Hey, come on,_

_let's get the show on the road!_

_Let's bowl, let's bowl_

_Let's rock 'n' roll!_

 

Johnny sprang back up to Paulette.

_'Cause the stakes are_ high!!

_And the winner takes all!_

Johnny picked up Paulette, put her over his shoulder like a fireman, and dashed down the lane, followed by Sharon, Louis, Goose, Rhonda, then Dolores.

The twins and their Prep-Tone dates, Artie & Vicki, Bernie & Helen, and Roy and Vicki dashed to the lane to continue the frivolities.

_We're gonna sc-o-ore tonight_

_We're gonna sc-o-ore toni-ight_

 

The Pink Ladies accosted their guys and sang them down.

 

_Don't get sore when you lose tonight,_

 

The T-Birds took up the challenge, firing back.

 

_We're gonna show you how_

_to do it right!_

 

_We're gonna sc-o-ore tonight_

_We're gonna sco-o-ore toni-ight!_

_We're gonna rock, we're gonna roll_

As Paulette and Johnny tried to steal a quick smooch, Steph, Sharon, Dolores, and Rhonda shuffled past them, blocking them, until Paulette was pushed out of the way and Louis was pushed up against Johnny.

###  _We're gonna bop, we're gonna bowl!!_

 

They were friends, but not like _that._ Embarrassed, Johnny pushed Louis away, they adjusted their collars, and continued.

_We're gonna score, score,_

_score, score, sco-o-o-re...tonight!_

Bowling, dancing, spinning, dancing, bowling, splits, leaps, jumps, and landings!

 

Steph thrust her arms up in the air like she just didn’t care, and bopped to the beat.

 

Davey leapt into a devastating aerial split, touching his toes in mid-air.

 

Johnny and Paulette danced behind him as Goose move out of the way, and Steph jammed beside his lane. An overconfident, showboating Davey misfired and landed on his ass, the ball stuck to his hand.

 

While Francine and Donna King boogied in the background with their bowling balls, R.G., Roy, and Bernie spun their bowling balls in wide arcs. Either the bowling balls were light or those three were from Krypton!

 

Getting into the wildness of the moment, Francine dashed like a wild girl down the lane, past Chuck and Dennis.

 

Dancers and bowlers, spinning, pirouetting wildly: Aurelio on Dallace's shoulders. Helen on Bernie's shoulders. Roy and Vicki. Gracie and her Prep-tone beau! Lucy being spun by Chuck! Dennis carried by Evie! R.G. carrying Donna!

_Paulette:_

_You bowl me over._

_Johnny:_

_Bowl me over._

_Paulette:_

_You bowl me over_

_She's hot tonight_

 

_Dolores:_

_You bowl me over!_

_Take a hike!_

_Get a strike!_

 

As the Pink Ladies, T-Birds, and the other bowlers threw themselves to the lane, on their hands and knees, forming an honor guard, Johnny took his ball, took aim...

 

_All:_

_Ten, nine, eight, seven_

_Six, five, four, three, two, one!_

 

Johnny landed a strike!

 

###  _STRIKE!!_

 

Johnny leapt up in victory… and landed in front of Paulette, smiling.

 

_Sc-o-ore tonight_

_We're gonna sc-o-ore toni-ight_

_We're gonna sco-o-o-ore (We're gonna bop we're gonna bowl)_

###  _Toni-i-i-ight!_

_We're gonna sco-o-o-ore (We're Gonna rock we're gonna roll)_

_Toni-i-i-ight!_

_We're gonna sco-o-o-ore_

_Toni-i-i-ight!_

_We're gonna sco-o-o-ore_

_Toni-i-i-ight!_

 

                Outside the Bowl-A-Rama, Michael had arrived, ready to try to make some new friends.

 

He read aloud from an etiquette booklet as he leaned on the fender of a parked car, "`Always be courteous when asking for a game.' `Hi, want a game?' `Howdy, fellas, let's bowl some balls'. `Bowling, anyone?'"

 

That did it for him. He pocketed the manual and looked towards the bowling alley.

 

He walked past several parked '57 Chevys, on his way to the entrance. And then he saw a sight that made him slow down; The Pink Ladies' Studebaker. He might have a chance to see Steph again.

 

                Back inside, The T-Birds and Pink Ladies had finished up their game / dance, and were gathering at the manager’s station to return their bowling shoes. Davey hopped up onto the desk to get his regular shoes from his bag.

 

Surprisingly the manager Tom either didn’t see Davey and Louis sitting on the desk, or didn’t mind, because he didn’t say anything. Apparently the T-Birds frequented the Bowl-A-Rama, and he was used to their antics.

 

Rhonda stated, “I’m hungry,” as the Pink Ladies and T-Birds stowed their bowling shoes.

 

Davey was celebratory, "Another well-deserved victory, huh, Johnny?"

 

Johnny asked, "Yeah, but where's the trophy??"

 

Paulette strode to him, said lustfully, "Right here, Johnny," and deeply kissed him as Dolores watched.

 

Rhonda saw the interplay and remarked, "Oh, kissies."

 

Steph looked and saw Johnny and Paulette engaged in lip-lock. Maybe her problems with him were over.

 

"That's for best average," Johnny said after their kiss was done.

 

“Mm-hmm,” Paulette agreed as she smoothed her lipstick with her finger.

 

He swung his arm to Steph and took her hand, "Now what about for best score?"

 

Steph protested, recoiling, _"God!"_ as Paulette reacted in dismay. So much for Steph’s problems being over. Johnny was passionately kissing Paulette, now he wants _her_ again?!

"Tou _chy!"_ Johnny remarked, put off by her response.

 

He wasn't unattractive, ugly, he was not a nerd, so why would she push him away? He was the T-Bird's top dog! The big man! Numero uno honcho! The head cheese! He was _the_ T-Bird!

 

Goose prodded, "What about the trophy for best score, Stephanie?"

 

"I ain't no one's trophy, Goose," she replied icily.

 

"Oooooh,” Goose and Johnny jeered.

 

“So she ain't no one's _trophy!"_ Johnny snapped as Goose chuckled behind him, "So that's how it's gonna be now, huh, Miss independent?"

 

She shot back, "Yeah, _independent._ I kiss _who_ I want, _when_ I want."

 

"Oh, yeah??"

 

She fired defensively, "I could kiss the next guy who walks through that door if I want!"

 

As she said that, an older man walked in; 60s, gray. _Definitely_ not her type!

 

"Yeah?!" Johnny asked, having seen the older guy.

 

"Yeah!" She shot back, unaware.

 

 ** _"Be my guest!"_** Johnny fired back.

 

As the T-Birds guffawed, the older guy smirked, embarrassed.

 

Davey cackled and jeered, “Go, Zinone,” as the older guy walked to the hat rack... and Michael stepped in, ready for a game.

 

_Bingo!_

 

Not missing a chance to wreck Johnny's night, Stephanie grabbed Michael, and laid a devastating kiss on him, smack dab on the lips. Just _WHAM!!_

 

The T-Birds, at first chuckling at the thought of her and that older guy, were now stunned. `Holy hell, she just kissed Shakespeare!'

 

Sharon and Rhonda watched, amused at Steph's audacity, but Johnny was stunned and dismayed that she called his bluff.

 

Steph broke away from Michael, who was as stunned as the T-Birds at the unexpected kiss, and she smiled in victory, "Let's eat."

 

Dolores chimed in, "I vote for pizza."

 

 ** _"You vote for bed!"_** Paulette snapped at her, more furious with Johnny than at her kid sister, voice quaking, "It's past ten o'clock, and why don't you go home..." she shakily glanced at Johnny, "...a-and leave me alone?!"

 

"Bed stinks," Dolores griped as the Pink Ladies departed.

 

Still reeling from that lip-attack, Michael tried to engage the T-Birds in a friendly match, "Hi. Is it too late to join the game?"

 

The T-Birds were in no mood for a friendly match with the man Steph just lip-slammed. He was a nerd, not in their clique, and just got too friendly with Johnny's ex – though that was Steph’s idea, not Michael’s… well not _that_ quickly.

 

As Johnny pulled his cycling gloves on, Goose snapped challengingly, _"You want somethin’?!"_

 

Johnny clapped his hands and snapped, pointing at the exit, "Food!" Then he departed, meaning `We're going out to eat and you ain't invited, nerd!'

 

Louis clap-snapped likewise, "Food!"

 

As did Goose, "Food!"

 

Finally, Davey clap-snapped, "Food!" Then he departed, shaking his head as if _Michael_ was the weirdo.

 

The T-Birds and Pink Ladies departed, leaving Michael wondering what the bloody hell just happened. Lip-slammed by the girl of his dreams then ousted by the Cool Crowd.

 

Dolores moaned as she retrieved her skateboard and paid off Tom the manager, "Life stinks."

 

"Are you talking to me?" Michael asked.

 

"Yeah, you'll do," she responded, perhaps seeing in him a kindred spirit, both having been rejected by the Cool Crowd.

 

"Great," He introduced himself, glad to make a new friend, "The name's Michael. Uh, Michael Carrington."

 

She introduced, “The name's Dolores. Dolores Rebchuck. Some jerks call me `Woodchuck' or `Upchuck', but I prefer Dolores, _got it?"_ She clarified, pointing at him.

 

"Got it."

 

They were at the entrance, and saw the Pink Ladies backing out in their Studebaker. Dolores griped, "They think they're so cool just 'cause they got wheels."

 

Paulette saw her and cried out as the car drove away, **_"Dolores, go home!"_**

 

Standing in the doorway, Michael admitted bitterly, "Yeah, well, it looks like you and me don't make the grade."

 

"With them it's all these weird codes and rules and pledges about cycles," Dolores explained, "You gotta be a biker or a biker's old lady. But without a cycle, forget it. It pisses me off."

 

As they stepped outside, Michael stated, "We're both in the same boat. I sure can't afford a cycle without a job." He pulled his outdated Etiquette manual out of his pocket and flipped it away, useless pap.

 

As they walked down the sidewalk, Dolores unloaded some baggage, "Yeah, but me, I'm willing to negotiate. I offered to be a Pink Lady mascot. It ain't the coolest job, but it's a start. You think they'd listen? Forget it. It pisses me off."

 

It was dark, past 10 o'clock - as Paulette had stated - so he offered gallantly with a smile, "Well, it's pretty late. I think I better walk you home."

 

She turned away and retorted, a bit put off, thinking he thought she was just a kid, "Oh, I don't need a babysitter, _o_ _kay??"_

 

He responded, gently jibing, "Well, why not think of it as a `date’, o _-kaaay??"_

 

How could she pass that up? Besides, he was pretty damn good looking... for a nerd.

 

She said sweetly as she took his proffered arm, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? Come on.” They continued walking, her holding her skateboard, "You know, when I'm in 12th grade, I _know_ I'll be the head of the Pink Ladies. My Pink Ladies will rule the school. They'll be the best. We'll have the best-looking jackets!” Her voice faded as they walked away, "I once tried to put letters on this jacket, you know? It didn't work. It fell right off. It was really embarrassing 'cause it happened in front of my sister, Paulette. Didn't mean for it to happen, but it did."


	6. Part 5: The Sub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A substitute teacher arrives and is nearly run over by the Pink Ladies' Studebaker, ogled by a horny Ms. Mason, then ditched by his entire class. A pretty normal day in Rydell.  
> And Johnny... smoking in the boys room is frowned upon. Smoking in the hallways is flirting with disaster.

**Part 5: The Sub**

 

Wednesday, 9-13

 

In the north parking lot, Mr. Spears replacement, Mr. Bud Stuart had arrived.

 

He was locking up his car, when he saw a pink Studebaker bearing down on him, honking! He leapt out of the way, yelling ”Whoa!” as the car screeched to a stop.

 

Leaning against a tree, Steph greeted, chuckling at the Pink Ladies’ recklessness, "Morning, Mister...?"

 

"Uh, Stuart," he replied shakily.

 

Sharon cried out as she exited the car, "God, you could've killed us, Rhonda!"

 

Steph jibed with a laugh, _"Good move, Rhonda!"_

 

Paulette ventured worriedly, "Can you Imagine? Dying a virgin!"

 

Steph moaned playfully, turning away, "Oh, God!"

 

                In the office hallway, Martin Meisner, a music Appreciation student, rushed to Mrs. McGee, his nose up and he whined nasally, "Nosebleed!"

 

"Nurse, room 11."

 

As Martin rushed off, Mr. Stuart was looking around one of the doorways, saw Mrs. McGee, and introduced himself, "Oh, good morning! Uh, I’m Stuart. I'm the substitute for..."

 

Ms. Mason glided in, "Good morning, Miss McGee." She stopped and appraised the newcomer. Apparently she liked what she saw.

 

Mrs. McGee looked at her, and greeted, "Good morning, Miss...?” She gasped at Ms. Mason’s low-cut, revealing blouse, “Uh, Miss…?"

 

"Mason."

 

“Mason,” Mrs. McGee pointed to him and introduced, "This is Mr…."

 

"Mr. Stuart."

 

“Mr. Stuart,” Ms. Mason said softly.

 

He gazed at the glorious upswept piles of her platinum locks and said appreciatively, "Oh, I love your hair, Ms. Mason!"

 

She cooed, patting the curly pile, "Oh, well, thank you, Mr. Stuart."

 

"Uh, Ms. Mason will help you while you're learning the ropes," Mrs. McGee offered... definitely picking up the elevated heat in the room. About 95 degrees in there.

 

Her voice dripping with `come hither', Ms. Mason said softly, "And it'll be my pleasure, I'm sure."

 

“Oh,” he said softly, intrigued.

 

Mrs. McGee caught on and said, "I'm sure you're sure."

 

He introduced, "Well, I'm a substitute for Mister..."

 

Ms. Mason breathed the word, _"Spears."_

 

Sighing at Ms. Mason, Mrs. McGee said to Mr. Stuart, "Follow me."

 

As Mr. Stuart and Mrs. McGee walked away, Ms. Mason couldn't help but stare.

She turned and departed.

 

                In the main hallway, Johnny read the Talent Show prize roster, and said confidently, _"That_ is why we are gonna win this talent show," he took a drag from his nearly-gone cigarette, "One hundred long-playing albumens."

 

"But we got zero talent," Davey lamented.

 

Goose looked at the list and said hoarsely in surprise, _"Aww jeez, there gotta be ten Roy Orbison albumens there!"_

 

Louis looked at the other records offered in the grand prize, and asked, "`The greatest hits of _Bee-thoven'?"_

 

                Mr. Stuart entered Mr. Spears' classroom and introduced himself, "Uh, good morning. M-my name is Mr. Stuart, and I am your substitute teacher."

 

A mass exodus. All of the disinterested students – Aurelio, R.G., Donna, Sandi, even Francine - departed, leaving Mr. Start behind.

 

 _Well,_ that _was a kick in the gonads._

 

One of the students announced, "Let's have a cigarette."

 

His compatriot seconded that with, "Yeah."

 

While Davey and Louis conversed as they strode down the hallway, Johnny and Goose were heading in the opposite direction, Johnny with a lit cigarette in his mouth, jacket over his left shoulder. If smoking in the Boy’s Room was frowned upon, smoking in the hallways was flirting with disaster!

 

And - of course - as they walked past the main office, Goose murmured in warning, _“Mm-mm_ ,” as they realized Mrs. McGee had just passed them.

 

"Mr. Nogerelli," she turned and addressed them, "I've been looking for you."

 

Johnny stopped, folded his tongue over the sides of the cigarette, and inverted it so that the ash would be pointed at his throat, and not touch the tongue itself.

 

He turned, mouth closed, and nodded.

 

Goose said flatteringly and nervously all at once, "Hello, Miss McGee. You're looking lovely today."

 

Johnny tried to turn away, but she grabbed him by the jacket, and said, "There has been a rumor, Mr. Nogerelli, that motorcycles have been driven across our school lawn.”

 

_“Hmm?”_

 

She stated sweetly, “Now, I know that couldn't have been _you,_ Mr. Nogerelli."

 

Johnny could only mumble, "Mmm?" his hand to his chest, feigning innocence, as Goose played with a forelock of his hair, trying to be inconspicuous.

 

"I'm sure you have more respect for grass than that... _right?"_ She asked, not realizing the double-meaning.

 

Johnny nodded, mouth and throat filling with smoke, "......Mm- _hmmm."_

 

She stopped smiling and snapped, jabbing a finger at him, "Now hear this; **_No more!_** Is that understood?!"

 

Holding back from choking on the smoke he couldn't release, he nodded, "Mmm-hmmm..." eyes watering.

 

Satisfied, she responded, "Good." She then smelled something and frowned in alarm, "Do you smell something burning?!"

 

“Mm-mm” Johnny murmured, grimacing from the acrid smoke in his mouth and throat as she rushed away to see what was causing that smell.

 

Goose mocked, falsetto, _"`Mr. Nogerelli... me-me-me-me-meem."_ He turned back to Johnny, "Guess you sure told her, huh, Johnny?" And slapped Johnny on the back... causing him to swallow the _still lit_ cigarette!

 

In pain, Johnny choked out, **_"Ah... water! WATER!!"_** And rushed to the nearby fountain, gulping.

 

Goose rushed to him, apologizing profusely, _"Sorry! I’m sorry, Johnny! I’m sorry! I’m s…!"_

 

Johnny launched at him after he put out the small fire, **_"I'll kill ya!"_**

**  
**


	7. Part 6; Talent Show / For Want of A Cool Rider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael performs for the talent show auditions and uses that opportunity to get closer to Steph... with disastrous results, as she desires a `Cool Rider', not a book-smart `nerd'.  
> Michael isn't so easily dissuaded, and thanks to Louis DiMucci, he finds a way to rebuild himself into what Steph wants; Write essays for the T-Birds, get paid, buy a motorcycle.

**Part 6: Talent Show Auditions**

**(For Want of a Cool Rider)**

 

Auditions Hall, that same day, Stacie & Gracie said enthusiastically as they got ready, "OK, Michael, we're ready.” They dashed to the stage after he started playing.

 

"Good luck, girls," Ms. Mason motivated

 

Gracie cheered, "The try-outs and we're the first! I hope I don't blank out. Now!"

 

Stacie and Gracie started off as Brad swayed between them, his back turned.

 

_His loafers were Weejuns._

_His chinos were black._

_With a cute little buckle,_

_That fastened in back._

 

Brad flipped up the hem of his jacket and they pointed to the buckle.

 

_From the very first glance,_

_I dreamed of romance,_

_with Brad_

_Romance with Brad_

As Stacie & Gracie still sang, in the theater's seats were Mrs. McGee, Blanche, and Ms. Mason, who said approvingly, "These are my girls. There's some good breeding up there."

 

Blanche concurred, "Mm-hmmm, and that is _so_ important."

 

“Hmm,” Mrs. McGee muttered, and didn’t look too sure of that claim.

 

Stage left, Michael was on the piano, as he promised the twins. Davey and Louis were behind him, puffing their cigarettes, awaiting their part in Sharon's `Calendar Girls' routine.

 

Dolores saw him and sat next to him as he played, "Hey, what's happening?"

 

He greeted her with a smile as he played, "Hey. Woodchuck."

 

She corrected him, _"Dolores,_ all right? What's _happening??"_

 

_Oh how he impressed me,_

 

He rolled his eyes and said, bored with the crappy song, "`Brad'."

 

Dolores sniped in disgust, "Does this song stink, or what?"

 

At the side stage across from Michael, several of the Calendar Girls were prepping. Francine had a very tall Maypole headpiece atop her head, and it wobbled precariously.

 

Back onstage, the twins were performing, moving side-to-side, while in the background, the rest of the Calendar Girls prepped for their auditions.

 

_this vision in madras._

_Don't know what possessed me,_

_But I gave him my address!_

Brad turned, smiling, cocky, adjusting his black and white checkered jacket.

 

And backstage, Francine’s taped-up oatmeal-can Maypole headpiece won the small battle and toppled over. “Ah!” She griped as she refastened the chin-strap on the stubborn costume piece.

_And my heart shook with fear,_

_as I prayed that I'd hear_

_From Brad_

_Hear from Brad..._

 

Mrs. McGee looked at Ms. Mason like she was from another planet when she saw her mouthing the words `hear from Brad' along with them.

 

_But the weeks slipped away_

_and Brad didn't write_

_So I sent him notes_

_drenched with my sin_

 

Backstage, Sharon was walking past a warning sign `DO NOT! Walk behind Cyclorama while a show is in progress’, prepping the others for their roles in the show, "There's a hundred LPs at stake, and I won't let a little hard work come between me and that prize! We're Calendar Girls! You have to get into your seasons, _become_ your seasons! Rhonda, you're `Fall’! Give me maturity, give me aging...!"

 

Rhonda quipped, annoyed at Sharon's chirpy enthusiasm, "Give me _a break."_

 

"Lunchtime," Steph muttered as they walked away.

 

_Then at yesterday's tea dance,_

_my day turned to night!_

_Muffy_ _Rogers_ _was wearing Brad's pin!_

 

Brad had placed a large cardboard `pin' on `Muffy Rogers' dress, then he pulled `Muffy' into a passionate kiss.

 

###  _I could just die!!_

 

Had enough of the overly sappy song, Mrs. McGee interrupted, "Thank you, but we haven't got all day."

 

Ms. Mason protested, "But these are _my_ girls."

 

 _`No shit,’_ Mrs. McGee’s tone conveyed as she said, deadpan, "I know, dear. Next!"

 

Backstage, Michael rested his head on the piano, trying to take a quick breather. Literally, not even three seconds later, Sharon had the Pink Ladies, notes in their hands, surround the piano, followed by Helen, Francine, and Donna.

_Well, Mikey, back to work._

 

Sharon said, "OK, OK, we're almost ready. I want everybody to sing their _ah, ah, ahs."_

 

Rhonda joked, "Ah-ah-ah."

 

"Will you take your music?!" Sharon pressed, thrusting the lyrics sheets forth.

 

Rhonda tried to get situated with her boxy `Tree’ costume, and accidentally caught Francine in the face with one of the fake branches.

 

“Let me out of this suit, I’m going for a smoke,” one of the surrounding girls stated as Sharon pushed the papers towards them.

 

"Do I have to do everything myself?” Sharon asked in annoyance as Steph tossed her jacket on the piano.

 

“Are you ready?" The stagehand asked.

_Ah-ah-ah_

_Ah-ah-ah_

_Ah-ah-ah_

_I'll be your girl for all seasons_

_All the year through_

 

As they sang, Michael saw Steph reading her notes and chewing gum.

 

He leaned in from the piano and said, "Hello."

 

"Hi," she responded offhand.

 

"I wanted to ask you if you’re free after school today?" He pressed gently,

 

"Yeah, I'm free every day," She joked, "It's in the Constitution."

 

He smiled, sighing. He’d broken the ice. He sat back and continued playing.

 

_‘Cause I’d love to be everything to you,_

_just you_

 

Sharon gathered up the notes and announced happily, "OK, we're ready, now."

 

Ms. Mason read from the roster, "Sharon Cooper and the seasons."

 

Rhonda started off, with her two accompanying `seasons' dancers, Vicki Hunt as October, and as Lucy Dickens as November, dancing beside her.

 

###  _If you fall in the fall you'll see_

 

Stage right, Davey cried _"Ow!"_ as he stubbed his toe on one of the barrel-like stage props on the floor. Stage left, Louis stood lackadaisically, wondering what the hell he was doing there in the first place. Well, Sharon needed him to, and she was his girl. If he wanted to get past second base, he needed to be a team player.

_September can be heavenly._

 

Sharon called out, "Eugene, ready with the leaves when I yell!"

 

Suspended from the rafters, Eugene had a box in his lap, and answered, "Ready!"

_If you fall, say you'll fall for me._

_When autumn leaves_

_are falling from the tree_

 

As Rhonda was dancing, the `Tree’ box lifted up, obscuring her vision. She danced away in annoyance, **_"I… am sick... of being... a tree!"_**

 

Mrs. McGee called out, "That's enough. Thank you."

 

Sharon protested, "But we still have three more seasons we haven't done for you yet!"

 

"I'm sorry, but I need the stage for my Drama class," Ms. Mason said apologetically.

 

 ** _"Oh!!"_** Sharon cried and flung the lyric sheets, dashing offstage.

 

Louis went after her, "Hey, Sha-ron, so what about tonight?"

 

As they packed up to leave, Michael strode to Steph and asked, "How about a hamburger later?"

 

"Oh, I'm busy."

 

"How about tomorrow?"

 

 _"Busy,"_ she replied, gathering props, getting a bit put off by his persistence

 

He didn't want to let it go, especially after the surprise she gave him at the bowling alley, "So maybe you can explain about the bowling alley, eh? You just don't kiss a guy and expect..."

 

She dismissed, "Look, it was just a joke. Forget it."

 

She was packing up the props, so he offered, "Let me give you a hand."

 

"Oh, I can manage," He still persisted, "Look, I said I can manage."

 

The departing Pink Ladies saw Michael, and Rhonda stated, "I think he's in love."

 

Paulette seconded, "I think he's kinda cute."

 

Steph snapped at them, "I think you two should shut your yaps."

 

As she left, carrying the props, Michael held up a book, "You forgot this one."

 

She came up to him to take it, "Thanks."

 

And he persisted yet again, "How about the day _after_ tomorrow?"

 

`Dammit, he won’t let up!’ She sighed in frustration, shook her head, looked away, then back to him, then stormed away.

 

He was not willing to let it go... bloody hell, she _kissed_ him! "Stephanie?"

 

That was it, she'd had enough! She wheeled on him, going for the kill, _"Look, when are you gonna get the picture?!"_

 

He stared at her, realizing he was in for a heartbreak. He pushed too hard, and must now suffer the consequences.

 

She stared him down and began her statement on what she wanted.

 

_If you really wanna know_

_What I want in a guy._

_Well, I’m lookin' for a dream_

_on a mean machine_

_With hell in his eyes._

_I want a devil in skin-tight leather._

_He's gonna be wild as the wind._

_And one fine night_

_I'll be holdin' on tight._

_To a cool rider!_

_A coo-oo-oo-ool rider!!_

_If he's cool enough he can burn me through and through_

_Whoa, whoa!_

_If it takes forever_

_Then I’ll wai-ai-ait forever!_

_No ordinary boy,_

_no ordinary boy is gonna do_

_I want a rider that's cool!_

 

She glanced back to him as he stood, her chin up as if to say `Get moving, you lost.' She strode to the exit, bathed in red light, and glanced back at him. `Hoof it, nerd.’

 

He got the picture, all right; Crash `N' Burn. Dejected and rejected, he walked away in defeat.

 

She continued on, not satisfied that he left, she had to spike the frickin’ ball!

_That's the way it's gonna be._

_That's the way that I feel._

She passed by a wooden wall covered in graffiti ( **Jill's out to lunch / Billy,** **Natalie puts out! /** A green heart and arrow with **F.S. & B.R **in the center **/** **Frank loves (** Donna - crossed out **) Helena / Phil does it /** and a small sketch of **Kilroy Was Here)**

_I want a whole lot more_

_than the boy next door._

_I want hell on wheels!_

 

She grabbed a cardboard wreath, acted like it was a steering wheel. She placed it with the Christmas decorations, and climbed the stage ladder, straddling it like a motorcycle seat.

_Just give me a black motorcycle_

_With a man rollin’ out of the seat!_

_Then move aside,_

_'cause I’m gonna ride_

_With a cool rider!_

_A coo-oo-oo-ool rider!_

_If he's cool enough_

_he can burn me through and through_

_Whoa, whoa!_

_If it takes forever_

_Then I’ll wai-ai-ait forever!_

_No ordinary boy,_

_no ordinary boy is gonna do_

_I want a rider that's cool!_

 

                Outside of the audition hall, Steph was really into her dance as she shuffled out of the auditorium.

 

_I don't want no ordinary guys_

_Comin' on strong with me!_

_They don't know what I’m lookin' for!_

_They don't know what I need!_

_You're gonna know it_

_when he gets here_

_'Cause the ground will be shakin'!_

_I'll do anything_

_to let him know that I’m his,_

_his for the takin'!_

_I want a cool rider!_

_A cool, cool, cool, cool rider!_

_I want a cool rider!_

_A cool, cool, cool, cool rider!_

_I want a C-O-O-L_

_R-I-D-E-R_

_I want a C-O-O-L_

_R-I-D-E-R!_

_I want a cool rider!_

_A cool, cool, cool, cool rider!_

_I want a C-O-O-L_

_R-I-D-E-R_

As her song faded, Louis approached Michael as he stared at Steph's diminishing form.

 

Though initially disparaging of Michael - as to the T-Birds, he was a nerd - Louis was the first of the Cool Crowd, the Kings of The School, to colloquially offer an olive branch - though for his own purposes. Still, it was a decent gesture, friendlier by far than flinging him head-first into a locker.

 

"Hey, English, I got something, uh, _scholastic_ to discuss with you." Michael turned as Louis continued, "What I’m saying here is that, you know, you're Mr. History, right? Like, I got this essay on the fall of Rome..." he laughed, "I didn't even know they were in trouble!"

##### 

Turning back to the direction Steph had just left, Michael asked, "What are you driving at, DiMucci?"

 

"Papers for paper. Essays for cash? _Hmm?"_

 

Michael had an epiphany. He was being offered a chance to earn some dosh, as the Americans called `dough-ray-mi!'

 

"So that's it…" He said softly, staring ahead.

 

"What's what?" Louis asked.

 

"It’s going to have to be a motorcycle."

 

Cash = Motorcycle. Motorcycle = Steph.

 

Stephanie rebuked him, but he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight! If he had to change himself to fit what she wanted… so be it!

 

Louis shrugged, it sounded reasonable, "Uh... good idea... invest in a cycle. So?"

 

Michael said enthusiastically, hand out, "So you've got a deal!"

 

 ** _"Hey! All right!"_** Louis exclaimed happily as shook Michael's hand vigorously. He then cautioned gently, "Listen, when we make the drop…" he glanced around to see if the coast was clear, "…not out in the open like this, huh? I got a rep to protect."

 

Michael smiled in agreement, and they went back to watching Steph shuffling away.

 

                A couple nights later, Inside Michael's Uncle Tom Anderson's Bomb Shelter, Michael was at his desk, finished with his `job'. `How Rome Fell'.

 

Although a bit dark, lit only by a reading lamp, the bomb shelter was actually pretty spacious for one person. 8 bunks, one of which Michael was using, a desk and chair, and the back shelves loaded with canned goods. Michael’s Uncle Tom Anderson wanted to be prepared for nuclear war with the Russians.

  **  
**

Outside, Louis arrived, stepped down the stairway, and knocked on the door, a pre-arranged code (Tap-tap, t-tap, tap).

  

"It's open," Michael answered.

 

Louis entered, amazed at the small but comfortable space, and said softly, "Your uncle said you was back out here. What _is_ this joint?"

 

"It's his nuclear fallout shelter."

 

"Yeah? You got that essay?"

 

"You got the cash?"

 

Louis tossed the payment onto the desk, which Michael looked at with a grin; the first step to his goal. Louis took his essay, then looked around again at the cozy room.

 

"This is a neat joint. A `nucleoid' shelter." As Michael tossed his first payment into a billfold, Louis remarked as he left, "It's private, good for homework and other activities... Involving _student bodies..."_

 

                A week later, Goose was waiting at the end of the underside of the bleachers. Michael arrived, slapped Goose on the shoulder with `his' essay. Goose took it, looked at it, nodded appreciatively, handed Michael his cash.

Goose pulled out more cash, thumbed through some bills, "Think you can handle a couple of History assignments, also?"

 

"Yeah, I'll try."

 

Goose handed over the cash, "OK, and remember, this is between us." He wiggled his fingers back and forth, indicating Michael and himself, "I got a rep to protect here, OK?"

 

"Yeah," Michael said as he saluted and left.

 

Goose saluted back, then sidled away, satisfied, but not before looking up and seeing the caboose of a girl sitting in the bleachers. He made an appreciative, _"Hmmm,"_ as he departed.

  **  
**

Some time later, _late_ late night, Michael had finished his / `Goose's' history assignment

 

He read aloud, "`William the Conqueror, by the Goose'." He looked at his watch, looked again when he realized how late it was, "Oh, God."

He slid over to his cot and tried to get some sleep.

 

                Some time later, in a fenced hallway outside of the auditorium, Michael was at the end of the hallway as Johnny came up, looking ahead.

 

Michael raised his hand, palm up. Johnny quickly shot Michael a wad of cash, and quickly snatched the essay and hid it under his jacket.

 

He stared ahead, making sure the coast was clear, then looked at Michael, pointed with the essay, and stated, "Nobody... but _nobody..._ knows this happened, dig?"

 

Michael, cash in hand, agreed readily, "Whatever you say."

 

Curious, Johnny took out the essay and scanned it. It was _good!_

 

He said very appreciatively, surprised, his gentler side shining through, "This is very nice! Nice penmanship!"

 

Remembering his image, he stopped smiling, shot the essay back under his jacket, and said seriously, pointing warningly, "Remember. I got a rep to protect, OK, Shakespeare?"

 

Michael nodded as Johnny looked to make sure the coast was clear, then strutted away.

 ** ****  
**  



	8. Part 7: Where DOES The Pollen Go (Reproduction)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Bud Stuart teaches his class about The Birds And The Bees, with hilarious and suggestive results
> 
> Note: Here is where a lot of the unnamed Boy / Girl Greasers are actually given names so they can be recognized in the movie itself
> 
> The deleted scene of Davey asking Michael for `help' on his essay has been re-integrated - copied in part from the Grease 2 novel

**Part 8: Where _Does_ The Pollen Go?**

**(Reproduction)**

 

Mr. Stuart tapped his chalk on the board in succession, drawing in a sketch of the female reproductive system; Uterus and ovaries. Actually, a very accurate diagram.

"Reproduction," he instructed, "It's-it’s very simple, but yet very important. Now, what is the best time of the month for a woman to… conceive?” He picked up the student roster, skimmed it, smirked, _`Ah-hah, one of the cool crowd’,_ then zeroed in on his victim, “Mister... _Jaworski."_

 

On the spot, Davey looked up, and asked, “What's `conceive'?"

 

While Johnny sat nearby, his head down, `reading' from a folder marked with a giant "T", Louis fought the urge to laugh that Mr. Stuart chose the student least likely to know about _any_ woman's physiology. _`Good lord, he called on the geek!’_

 

Wiping his glasses, Mr. Stuart answered, "You know, uh, to be fertile," he blew on his glasses, wiped them again, "What's the best time?

 

Davey, flat-footed, could only answer, "A-ask Nogerelli."

 

"Mr. Nogerelli?"

 

Johnny sat back from T-Bird folder, accidentally revealing that he was reading a hidden Playboy – which he hid again as R.G. sniggered - and answered, "Uh... ask Goose."

 

"Mr. Goose?"

 

"Um… ask DiMucci."

 

 _Damn, this is getting tedious..._ "Mr. DiMucci?

 

 _"Whaat?"_ Louis responded lazily.

 

"Conceive," Mr. Stuart blew on his glasses again, "What's the best time?"

 

"At night?"

 

Johnny stifled a laugh and R.G. chuckled, but Mr. Stuart wasn't pleased at the apparent lack of knowledge. As Ms. Mason appeared in the door's window, He said with a disappointed chuckle, "Well, I-I can see that we're not getting very far."

 

Louis said _sotto vocce,_ to the guys, "I got the same problem."

 

Ms. Mason entered, her hair piled up differently - a fanning ponytail on top with a lower pony in back - but still high and gorgeous. _Now_ the guys were paying attention! `All male periscopes _up!!'_

 

"Morning, everybody."

 

"Good morning," came the response.

 

She glided over to the desk and said softly, "Good morning, Mr. Stuart."

 

He stared at her as she glided away. He shrugged it off and took out the textbook, "Let's start at the beginning. Page one."

 

Ms. Mason prompted, pointing, "Open your book."

 

"`Where do babies come from?'" Mr. Stuart read.

 

Ms. Mason said softly, and this was _dripping_ with innuendo, "If you need me, I’ll be right over here." She sat.

Goose asked, "Do we need this stuff for the exam?"

 

Mr. Stuart started his class... Confidentially, he had the distinction of being the _only_ Rydell teacher to engage the students in song...

 

_The parts of a flower_

_are so constructed_

_that very, very often,_

_the wind will cause pollination._

_If not, then a bee or any other_

_nectar-gathering creature_

_Can create.. the same situa-_ **tion!**

 

He looked towards Ms. Mason, who started at the high-tone, surprised.

_Yes, anything that gets.. the pollen_

_to the pistil's right on the list._

_I'll try to make it crystal clear._

_A flower's insatiable passion_

_turns its life into a circus of debauchery!_

 

The girl students to the right of Mr. Stuart’s desk jumped up, pumped their hips in a sexual fashion, then sat back down.

 

_Now you see just how the stamen_

_gets its lusty dust on to the stigma._

_  
_

_As Michael was seated, trying to pay_ _attention to Mr. Stuart,_ _Bernie and Artie placed their books on his shoulders and used them to catch a quick nap. Michael looked at them like he was thinking `_ _Bloody_ _Hell, guys, I don’t know you_ _that_ _well.’_

_And why this frenzied chlorophyllous orgy starts each spring_

_is no enig-_ **ma!**

We call this quest for satisfaction a what, class?

 

_Twins & Lucy: _

A photoperiodic reaction!

 

_Mr. Stuart:_

Oh, that's good!

Oh, that's very good!

 

_Bernie_

Hey, I’m lost! Where are we?!

 

_Lucy_

Chapter two.

_Willie:_

Page five.

 

#  _Reproduction_

_Reproduction!_

 

Francine, dressed in a red-and-plaid dress, jumped up, stood on her chair, twirling her hands.

_Put your pollen tube to work!_

 

_Reproduction_

_Reproduction!_

 

Vicki stood and added her own verse

_Make my stamen go berserk!_

 

_Reproduction..._

 

Donna Singer stood up and jeered,

 _I don't think they even know what a_ pistil _is!_

_Artie: (Smirking)_

I got your pistil right here!

 

"Artie!" She giggled as he chased her around the desks.

 

_Goose:_

_Where does the pollen go?_

 

Mr. Stuart was trying to corral the students back to their seats, "Get back here! Get into your seats!"

 

The students were carrying on – Bernie motioned to Helen, who rushed into his arms and they embraced – and the others – even Francine – were dancing around.

 

Ms. Mason ordered, "Sit down."

 

Next chapter. How in an abstract way,

the same thing applies to the reproductive organs

of the more complex life-forms.

But we are now dealing with sexual response.

Are there any questions before we begin reading?

 

Aurelio was supported by Willie, Dennis Jimenez, and Roy as they carried him over to Ms. Mason, suggestively...

_  
_

_Is it possible the female member_

_of some sex on a couch_

_Could, like, get this guy all hot_

_and she never even knew it?_

 

She shook her head, telling Aurelio (inaudibly) to back down, as Mr. Stuart answered

**Negative!**

 

Charles McGovern popped up behind the yellow sweater-clad Twins and his girlfriend, Lucy.

_When a warm-blooded mammal_

_in a tight little sweater_

_Starts pulling that stuff,_

_she's saying that she wants to do_ it?

 

Dennis slid across the Helen and Francine’s desk as he sang to Evie Lynn, his nether regions at least seven inches from Francine, who looked in amazement and wonder at what she saw.

_Can't prove it by me!_

_'Cause they change their tune_

_when you got 'em in the back seat!_

Roy sprang up next to Stacie and Gracie, jerking his shirt-front back and forth, imitating a hammering heartbeat

 

_With his heart beatin' fast!_

_Twins & Lucy: _

_They make it sound like a track meet!_

**Gross!**

_T-Birds:_

_Yeah... Then all they can do is say,_

_(Falsetto) "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"_

_Reproduction_

_Reproduction!_

The girls faced off with them, Francine pumping her hips and twirling her braid,

_Girls: (Basso)_

#  _Baby, give it to me now!_

 

_Reproduction_

_Reproduction!_

 

_T-Birds: (Falsetto)_

###  _Is that all you think about?!_

###  _Reproduction!_

_Come on, baby, show me that you really love me so!_

Willie rushed to the end of the desks, crying out, his finger on his tongue, gagging.

**Oh, I think I’m gonna throw up!!**

 

_Yeah… that was probably not the smartest thing for him to exclaim aloud, as his girlfriend Francine was well within earshot, and she was one of the girls who had just sang that last verse. Willie's gonna get dog-housed!_

 

_Goose:_

_Where does the pollen go?_

 

The students were standing, their arms up, shaped like the opening of a female sexual organ. Goose ran to each `opening', plunged his arms through, and departed at the students laughed.

Mr. Stuart was chasing the students, "Mr. Goose... Mr. Goose! _Please be seated!"_

 

The human is the only being capable

of consciously controlling

its number of offspring!

Are there any comments on that?

 

The T-Birds held up Johnny’s playboy, showed the centerfold, and Johnny asked, "I was wondering if you could tell me where she lives?"

Goose pointed to a part of the centerfold on the magazine, "Yeah, what is this?"

 

Paulette glided over to Mr. Stuart, all hot and breathy, Marilyn Monroe all the way, tugging on his tie,

_Mr. Stuart...Is it true that guys like you,_

_you know, mature and all,_

_carry some protection with them..._

**_for sexual occasions?_ **

 

He was taken aback and groaned, "Oh, God!"

_Johnny:_

_What's the big deal?_

_Can't a girl just do that thing in a book,_

_where she adds up the days of her, uh,_

_whaddaya call it..._

_mentalstra-_ **tion?**

_Girl: (Chiding)_

_Oh, that's really neat!_

_Yeah, and what'll the guy do if the numbers don't add up right, huh?_

 

Michael looked up at Steph, gazing longingly at her during the song as she chewed her gum.

 

_Yeah, yeah, yeah!_

_Reproduction_

_Reproduction_!

 

Helen had Bernie’s head in her hands, making him nod as she sang:

_Hope he's proud of what he's done!_

 

_Reproduction_

_Reproduction!_

R.G. danced around with Sandi's legs straddled over his shoulders as Mr. Stuart grimaced in disgust at the sight.

 

R.G. hoisted her up onto Artie and Michael's desks - Michael actually laughed at that - her legs wrapped around R.G.’s neck as Artie held her.

 _He was only_ pokin' _fun!_

Johnny and Paulette took some time to steal a smooch

_Reproduction..._

 While Goose and Rhonda bopped behind him, Louis held up a white rabbit - indicating their proclivity for rapid breeding - and grinned wickedly as Aurelio and Dallace Winger stared at it.

_See what happens when a boy and girl_

_don't know how to play it safe?!_

 

Louis pointed at the rabbit and nodded. Louis spoke, thus it was good.

 

_Reproduction_

 

Bloody hell, now even _Michael_ was singing along!

_Reproduction_

Mrs. McGee peeped in through the door's window, aghast at what she saw. _Hark! What insane frivolity be this?!_

_Reproduction_

_Re-pro-duc-tioooooooooooooooooon!_

 

Goose, who had been hanging from the room's fire sprinkler piping, finished, deep voice.

_Goose:_

_Where does the pollen go?_

He plopped from the pipe, back into his seat, as if he'd been sitting there all along, and the class settled back to normal, pretending it was just a regular day in class. _(*Boing!*)_

 

Mrs. McGee beat a hasty retreat back to her office.

 

                Outside the classroom, Davey cackled as Johnny ribbed, "Learn anything, Steph?"

Steph left quickly. Johnny followed her, "What's the rush? Ya gotta take a pill?"

 

Davey saw Michael walking away, and he pulled himself from the ranks of the leather-jacketed T-Birds. He slid up to Michael, tugged on his sleeve, and said, “Hey, Carrington, come here for a sec, huh?”

 

“What do you want?” Michael asked warily, though he had a feeling. At least Davey was the least threatening of the T-Birds.

 

Davey said confidentially, softly, “Look, I know the guys been having you do their essays for cash, right?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Well, see, I got this dumb essay on sex, morals, and animals… some lame crap like that… and, well, could I get your `help’ on it? I have cash, don’t worry about that,” he said softly, “but we gotta keep this strictly between us, ‘cause…”

 

Michael finished with a smirk, “`You got a rep to protect’.”

 

Davey backed up, surprised that he caught on that fast, then shrugged and said, “Uhh, well, _yeah.”_

 

Michael smiled and said, “Let’s talk.” Better the payoff, the better the bike!

 

They headed down the empty hallway together.

 

In Mrs. McGee's office, she was explaining to Mr. Stuart the problems of teenagers, "Please, try to remember, Mr. Stuart, that their bodies are more developed than their minds."

 

"I understand."

 

"They have drives, Mr. Stuart.”

 

"I understand."

 _”Lustful_ drives!" She prodded.

 

"Oh, I understand!"

 

"Good."

 

Some female students entered, "Hi, Mr. Stuart."

 

"Hi, Mr. Stuart," Olivia Jones - the girl who got `Goosed’ earlier - said as she brushed past him. For some unknown reason, as her skirt brushed him, he batted it away like he was batting away an insect.

 

She approached Mrs. McGee and asked worriedly, "May I speak to you, Mrs. McGee?"

 

"Yes, dear, what about?"

 

Olivia said softly, "I'm a little worried. I've missed my last two periods." And she was speaking biologically, not scholastically.

 

Naturally, Mrs. McGee misunderstood, and said reassuringly, heading Olivia out, "That's all right, dear, you can make them up after school."

 

As the confused girl left, Mrs. McGee smiled... then her face darkened in shock when she realized what kind of `periods' the girl meant!

 

_Where does the pollen go?_

_(*Boing!*)_


	9. Part 8: Birth of A `Cool Rider'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael sets about the task of recreating himself into Stephanie Zinone's `Cool Rider'; Buying parts from Pfeil's Cycle Salvage, and assembling his motorized steed.  
> After initial construction, Michael takes `Cool Rider' out for a shakedown test.
> 
> Sharon Cooper And The Seasons, the Prep-Tones, and the T-Birds perform during another set of auditions, with amusing results.
> 
> Note: This is where I made an in-joke about Mrs. McGee knowing about Hill Valley High in southern California, (Back To The Future) and having heard about `Calvin Klein's song "Johnny Be Good".  
> G.E. Salva's backstory was created by me, as it could have been his bike that Michael repaired and turned into `Cool Rider'

#### Part 9: Birth of a `Cool Rider'

 

Michael drew a finishing lane across the page as he sat at his desk, finishing off the last of `his' essays, Davey's.

On the page were scribbles, a tiny sketch of a motorcycle doing a wheelie, the T-Birds logo, and a sketch of `Kilroy Woz here'. The text was haphazard and intentionally loaded with misspellings _`Nevertheless herein (lays) lies not withstanding the albeit quint-(issess)-ssential dizzimilarity between the primate male and its human couzin.’_ He turned to the cover page, and the title `Sex M **o** rality & The Animal Kingd **o** m' by Davey Jaworski’, the `O’s of _Morality_ and _Kingdom_ done like eyes looking at each other.

"Nice one, Davey. That does it." He slammed the pen on the page twice, squirting it with ink, either indicating that Davey had a sloppy writing style, or that was Michael's `victory lap', since he was done with his grueling yet lucrative tasks.

 

                Later, across town, Michael was at Pfeil & Salva’s Cycle Salvage yard. There were piles and piles - literally _tons_ of motorcycle chassis and parts.

 

The current owner and manager, Gerald Edwin (G.E.) Salva, a hefty, blond, mustachioed man, appeared to be in his early fifties, was taking Michael into the main lot to select a bike.

 

"Yep. Follow me," They wound through the piles of parts as he continued his spiel, "Quite a selection here. All very, very serviceable machines, young man."

 

At a glance, the scrapped cycles don't look `very, very serviceable', but with the right tools and the talent, who knows what kind of thundering beast might be created here? One man's junk may be another man's asphalt-shredding motorcycle!

 

Michael tripped over a bike part, but caught himself, and continued as Mr. Salva said, "One or two of these were my personal transportation a few spare parts ago."

 

Mr. Salva had been a motorcycle racer from 1949 until 1957, in his mid-40s, until his trusty Honda Scrambler blew a tire and threw him, wrecking the cycle severely and injuring him, ending his career. That Honda had been his beauty, but it was too damaged for him to repair, also his injuries put him on the sidelines for too long, so he sold it to the cycle salvage yard. A few years back, he took some of the remaining earnings from his racing days and made some investments that paid off. He bought Pfeil's Salvage Yard when it was going under, and made it prosper again. Several of the local high school students bought parts from him for their own cycles. Despite the conditions of most of the scrapped cycles, it was a very lucrative business. Even the Cycle Lords gang frequented his salvage yard. Despite their dubious reputations, his dealings with them were usually equitable. Even their leader, Leo Balmudo – dangerous to his rivals – was generally decent to him.

 

When he and Michael got to the front of the garage, Mr. Salva said, encouraging, "A little elbow grease and any one of these beauties is a fixer-upper. Looks like you've got yourself a bike!"

 

**_"Great!"_ **

 

"And you're gonna need these," he said as he handed Michael some bluish-gray coveralls.

 

"Oh, Thanks!" Michael took them gratefully. Not only would they help keep his clothes clean, they'd also be his training gear.

 

Mr. Salva smirked, _`Great doing business with you. I just made a bundle!'_ as he counted his cash.

 

He walked away to let Michael build his new bike, "Good luck."

 

                Montage: As we hear an instrumental version of Cool Rider, Michael took off his sunglasses and looked around at the mélange of parts, deciding which way to go.

 

 

He selected a suitable chassis, a Honda, one nearly assembled enough, at least the frame and seating, and started to create his masterpiece. His goal; a motorcycle that could get him in with the cool crowd and win Stephanie Zinone's heart.

 

He hauled several parts to the chassis he selected; various pieces and wheels. He read the manual as it lay across the back of his selected creation, trying to bring life to his Frankenstein; Assembled with care from as many similar parts he needed from the cycle parts surrounding him.

 

He assembled each piece meticulously, measuring components.

 

                Weeks later, the bike was now fairly well assembled, a mid-50s Honda Scrambler, and Michael took his creation to El DoradoRegionalPark on Spring St., to test the beast out.

 

Overhead, as he was training, we hear Steph's mantra, `Cool Rider'. Apparently, the song was also playing through his head as he took his bike.. let's call that beauty `Cool Rider'... on a shakedown run, and it spurned him forward to not only make Cool Rider the best bike in the school, but also recreate himself into the man Steph desired.

 

_Cool rider_

_A cooooool rider_

_If he's cool enough_

_he can burn me through and through_

_Whoa, whoa_

 

He had a hard time of it. It's not that he assembled the bike wrong. In fact, he did a damn near professional job; Soichiro Honda, the president of Honda, would be honored! It's that the damn thing was so powerful, like a quarter horse on steroids, that it was a tough beast to control.

 

_If it takes forever_

_Then I’ll wai-ai-ait forever!_

 

He tried to control the bike as it bucked forward unsteadily, and he attempted a wheelie, but Cool Rider wasn't willing. `I don't think so, Newbie!' and it flipped him over the handlebars.

_No ordinary boy,_

_no ordinary boy is gonna do_

 

 _"Bollocks,"_ he griped as he scrambled to get up and get Cool Rider - which may or may not be laughing at him - back up and running.

 

As he got back to his regimen of motorcycle training, Frenchy had arrived to see how he was doing.

                _I want a rider that's cool_

 

He attempted another wheelie, and almost succeeded... then it tore forward. He landed on butt in the grass as Cool Rider kept going forward and crashed.

 

 _"Oh, Michael!"_ Frenchy cried as he lay back to get his bearings. She rushed up to him to help, "Michael!"

 

He sat up, unhurt except in pride, and greeted wearily, "Good to see you, French."

 

She squeaked in concern, "What were you trying to do?"

 

He said, yanking off his helmet, annoyed at his failure, "I'm trying to ride that motorcycle without bloody well killing myself."

 

He got up, righted Cool Rider, straddled it, and tried to kick it into drive as Frenchy brought his helmet back to him. Ka-chunk... ka-chunk... ka-chunk! Nothing, it was flooded, and the wheel-guard was dented.

 

_If Cool Rider was still laughing, it would come with a price; A splitting headlight-ache from that crash!_

 

He gently took his helmet back from Frenchy and placed it on the tail light, and started to push Cool Rider back to the Salvage Yard. As they say in the American Looney Tunes cartoons, `Back to the old drawing board'.

 

As he pushed the bike, Frenchy called out, realizing what was going on, why he was training to ride the cycle, "Wait a second! Michael!" He kept pushing, glancing back at her, smiling, wiggling his eyebrows, knowing she knew.

 

"Michael...? This isn't for... _Stephanie...? Oh..."_

 

He walked off.

 

              A couple days later, back at Rydell, in a long, empty hallway, Michael walked with Frenchy, wearing tight black jeans, a leather jacket, and a white t-shirt. She was teaching him to walk and talk like a biker, and he tried to copy her moves and tried to imitate an American accent.

 

Frenchy had dated Doody from the original T-Birds for years, and she picked up a lot of cues from observing the tough mannerisms of the T-Birds, especially Danny, Kenickie, Sonny, Putzie, then later, Johnny. It was those mannerisms she was teaching Michael.

 

Frenchy walked `tough’, and said, “Now, you walk like this. Strut. Stride. Swing the hip. Swing the hip. Curl the lip.”

 

Michael imitated her walk, the strut, the stride. He managed to do a good impression, but it needed work. He still had part of his normal walk.

 

“How’s this?” He looked at her hopefully.

 

“It’s comin’. It’s…” She paused, then admonished gently, “Michael, these are _tough_ guys! You gotta look tough! You gotta strut and stride. Strut and stride.”

 

He tried again, making some headway, then sighed, “Maybe this is crazy.”

 

She sighed good-naturedly and said with a smirk, eyeing his skin-tight pants, “I don’t think you’re gonna be able to get outta those jeans for a while, so we might as well keep going. Now, repeat after me: `Don’t mess the hair, I won’t mess your face’.”

 

He said in a rougher voice, American-accented, “Don’t mess the hair, I won’t mess your face.”

 

“Again,” she said.

 

“Don’t mess the hair, I won’t mess your face.”             

 

She said as he followed her directions, “Move those shoulders, swing those hips.” He did the strut-and-stride, finally had it down, and she cheered, “Good! Now ask for the comb!”

 

He held his hand out and said, “Comb.”

 

She slapped a comb into his hand. He took it and combed his hair in a very classic T-Bird way.

 

He got it!

 

“All right!” She grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek.

 

“Hey, watch the fenders,” he joked as they head down the corridor.

 

                At the Rydell auditorium, the Calendar Girls were hard at work. In fact, without even that much effort, they outclassed nearly all of the competition. Onstage was Steph, wearing a white Christmas Tree suit with star headpiece, Dallace Winger wearing a Colonial-era tri-corner hat and a circular costume piece, and Donna Singer, wearing a red tinsel halo around her waist.

_I'll be yours in winter_

_When the snow is on the ground_

_I’ll warm you through December_

_And I’ll always be around._

As Steph performed, Michael watched her with a smile as he played the piano.

_Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah..._

 

And this time, it was _Blanche_ that interrupted, "That will be all for today."

 

"Blanche!" Mrs. McGee admonished. _She_ was the one allowed to call quits.

 

Sharon protested, _"Wait a minute, there are still more seasons we haven’t done for you yet! We have to start with winter because Paulette's late and..."_ Paulette flipped open her veil, and glared. Sharon added, _"...well, she was late again today, but she's here now..."_ Paulette smiled - _"...and we'd like to do summer and spring for you!"_

 

Mrs. McGee interrupted, "Sharon, will you stop yelling?" She smiled brightly, "You're _in_ the show!"

 

 

Sharon squealed, **_"AHH-HO!!"_**

 

"Next."

 

"The Prep-Tones," Ms. Mason introduced.

 

_Bah-buh-bah-bah-bah-buh-bah-bah_

_bah-buh-bah-buh-bah._

_Bah-buh-bah-bah-bah-buh-bah-bah_

_bah-buh-bah-buh-bah._

_Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream.._

 

As the Prep-Tones sang, Ms. Mason, Blanche, and Mrs. McGee watched their performance. "These are my boys," Ms. Mason said with pride, "Look. Good, clean-cut American boys."

 

Mrs. McGee wasn't impressed, and said deadpan, "I know." _`Damn, they are boring!'_

 

_Then tell her_

_that her lonesome nights are over._

_Sandman, I’m so alone._

_Don't have nobody to call my own._

_Please turn on your magic beam._

_Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream._

 

Mrs. McGee may not be much into the newer rock craze... but the Prep-Tones' song was sappy as a pine tree even back in the 50s! At least in 1955, she had heard about a new kind of song from an acquaintance of hers in Southern California, Gerald Strickland, Principal of Hill Valley High School. When she visited the high school after their infamous `Hill Valley Lightning Storm’ that fried the town’s clock tower, Mr. Strickland informed her about a wild, heart-pumping song that had been played on that fateful night at the `Enchantment Under The Sea Dance’ by a student by the name of Calvin Klein, with help from Marvin Berry and The Starlighters. Though he claimed it was excruciatingly loud at the end, he grudgingly admitted that the rest of the song was actually pretty decent, `Johnny B. Goode'.

 

They needed _that_ kind of talent at Rydell.

 

Piano flourish, and the song ended, much to Mrs. McGee's relief.

 

Ms. Mason applauded, "That was wonderful!"

 

"Yes," Blanche seconded as the smiling Prep-Tones departed

 

Mrs. McGee read from the Roster, "The T-Bones."

 

As Johnny and the T-Birds came on stage, he corrected, _"Birds!_ T- _Birds!"_

 

They hummed to get their harmonies in tune, “Humm, hummm, _hummmmm,”_ and started singing... and it was _atrocious!_ Out-of-tune, grating.

_Johnny: (atonal)_

_We're goin' prowlin'!_

_T-Birds: (out of tune)_

#####  _Walk, talk like a T-Bird_

 

_Johnny: (atonal)_

_Prowlin'!_

_T-Birds: (out of tune)_

#####  _Walk, talk like a T-Bird_

 

_Johnny: (atonal)_

_Wah-ha-ha!_

 

"These are _my_ boys," Mrs. McGee stated, smiling... for approximately two seconds... then that smile dissolved as they were so out of tune, she couldn't help but wonder if her pride in them might be misplaced.

 

_T-Birds: (out of tune)_

_Walk, talk like a T-Bird tonight! Owww!_

_Prowlin'..._

 

No `might' about it.

 

Ms. Mason cut them off, she'd had enough as well. "Thank you," she said with finality, gathering her notes. If they'd have attended Music Appreciation last semester, they'd have done a lot better.

 

Blanche either had no real musical taste - or she was just being encouraging since they had the idea down okay, just not the melodies - because she said approvingly, "That was just _wonderful."_

 

Johnny agreed, "It _was_ very nice." He and the T-Birds packed up to leave, "We-we could work a little bit on the harn-omies, you know? Catch you later, Mrs. McGee."

 

Goose added, “Tha.. thank you.”

 

Mrs. McGee muttered, "Thank you, Nogerelli."

 

As they departed, Johnny invited, "Oh, uh, my mom wants you to come over for `pas-ghetti’, at your convenience, you know?" He stated.

 

She groaned, "Thank you... Nogerelli."

 

As they departed, Johnny reminded the T-Birds, "I’m talkin’ practice over mid-term break."

 

Goose griped, "Aww, Johnny, practice?!"


	10. Part 9: Who's That Guy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael takes on the persona of `Lone Rider', on his motorbike `Cool Rider'. In his epic debut, saves the T-Birds from being pulverized by the vicious Cycle Lords gang.
> 
> Johnny, still pining for Steph, realizes the mysterious Lone Rider is the one she wants, and feels threatened.

**Part 10: Who's That Guy??**

 

Michael was back at the salvage yard, hammering the dent out of the wheel-guard in Mr. Salva's office... then back in the yard repairing a component - maybe the fuel pump - snapping it back together.

 

_I'll be yours in springtime_

_When the flowers are in bloom_

 

Michael was back at it in the park, training hard, but he'd been at it so long now, Cool Rider had finally accepted him as its master, and was performing flawlessly!

 

_We'll wander through the meadows_

_In all their sweet perfume_

 

He executed near-perfect maneuvers, tight turns around the trees - bet all of the tire-marks ticked off the park's grounds-keepers! - and finally executed a wicked wheelie that lasted at least 8 seconds. And that's no mean feat considering he was doing that wheelie on grass!

 

                Back at Rydell, the Calendar Girls kept performing, perfecting their tune.

 

_Ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah!_

 

Stephanie, who had been laying on the floor, taking a quick break, looked up from her little nap, then laid back down.

_I'll be your girl for all seasons_

_All the year through_

 

Outside, the T-Birds had found the Talent Show roster, and to their joy and horror, they were on it.

 

Davey cried as he read, "Oh, _disaster!"_

 

Goose asked, "What? We blew it?"

 

Davey answered, distraught, "No, we made it, but we can't sing in public, we're the worst!" Though the awkward follower, Davey had the sense to be realistic about their limitations.

 

Louis reasoned, "We'll get un-worst!"

 

Goose joked, rhyming, "We'll get Liverwurst!"

 

Johnny lightly smacked Goose in the back of the head, "You're knockwurst!"

 

While Goose fixed his freshly-mussed hair, Davey asked, confused, "Oh, how did we get in?"

 

Louis said with pride, "Obviously they recognized natural talent."

 

Eugene slipped up and said quickly, razzing, "Everybody made it. They didn't have enough acts!"

 

He snatched the roster and darted off.

 

 ** _"Get...!"_** Johnny commanded, tearing off after Eugene.

 

                Later... Boy's shower room, the sappy Prep-Tones were practicing, the acoustics of the shower room helping their performance... marginally.

 

_Bah-buh-bah-bah-bah-buh-bah-bah_

_bah-buh-bah-buh-bah._

_Bah-buh-bah-bah-bah-buh-bah-bah_

_bah-buh-bah-buh-bah._

As they were performing, Johnny poked his head up from behind the lockers, the top of his head and eyes the only things visible. He quirked an eyebrow while measuring up their opponents. Louis followed, then Goose, wearing dark goggles, and finally Davey... who was so short, all that was visible was the top of his head.

 

_Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream_

_Make her the cutest_

_that I've ever seen_

_Give her two lips like roses in clover_

_Then tell her that her lonesome nights are over_

 

Johnny said softly, with conviction as Goose flipped up his goggles, "If _we_ are gonna win that grand prize, we have got to get it together like that. But with _class."_

 

Goose reminded him, "Remember... I want the Roy Orbisons."

 

"You'll get 'em."

 

They ducked back under cover.

 

_…to call my own._

_Please turn on your magic beam_

_Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream_

 

As they departed the shower room, Davey tossing his Rydell track shirt into his locker, Johnny reminded them of the time constraints, "I'm talkin' only weeks before the talent show."

"I'm talkin' winnin' albumens," Goose stated his reasons for performing.

 

"I'm talkin' about makin’ progress," Louis added.

 

Davey didn't have anything to say, so just stated, "I'm not talkin'."

 

                Back at the salvage yard, Michael had the fuel tank of Cool Rider taped-and-newspapered-up securely, and was judiciously, carefully spraying it with red paint, creating a flame job design – the finishing touch, the _Pièce de résistance._

 

                Tuesday night, at the Bowl-A-Rama, Dolores skateboarded towards the bowling alley. As she rolled by then dismounted, she saw Balmudo on his bike, drinking from a beer can.

  


She just walked past him, headed to the door, and as she opened it, she turned and yelled, **_"Scum!"_**

 

Balmudo stood tall, sneering at her angrily. After she disappeared into the bowling alley, he laughed at her brashness.

 

Dolores reported to the T-Birds, who were engaged in a pinball game, "Balmudo's out front and he's all alone!"

 

Johnny shoved the machine, it dinged, and Goose tried to take over, "Tilt! My turn."

 

"Your turn after we tilt that crater-face Balmudo!" Johnny said venomously, "Come on!"

 

Goose added, “Come on, let’s go.”

 

As Johnny walked purposely to the door, he ordered, "Comb!" Louis handed him a comb, and Johnny prepped his ever-cool hair.

 

Sharon cried out as they departed, "Louis, be careful!"

 

"Smoke," Johnny commanded as they kept walking. Goose handed him a cigarette. "Light." Goose expertly and coolly snap-lit his Zippo on his leg, and lit Johnny's cigarette.

 

Outside the Bowl-A-Rama, Balmudo dismounted as he was now surrounded by his fellow Cycle Lords. _All_ of them.

 

Unaware, the T-Birds boldly busted through the door, ready to fight Balmudo... then stopped in their tracks as they saw that he was no longer alone.

 

Trying to play it cool, Johnny ordered, less confident, "Comb again." Louis handed Johnny a comb as Goose flipped open his switchblade comb.

 

As Johnny brushed his hair back, Balmudo, who'd been watching calmly... suddenly flared his face in anger, and made a hissing **_`PFFT!'_** sound, like a snake.

 

It worked. Johnny flipped the comb away, and retreated quickly to the safety of the bowling alley, "That's it, come on, guys!"

 

As the T-Birds scurried away, Balmudo laughed in victory.

 

_Remember the earlier statement that Balmudo wasn't necessarily ugly? Scratch that. The bugger's ugly._

 

Back in the Bowl-A-Rama, Dolores, unaware of Balmudo's reinforcements, pulled at Davey's jacket, and said, "Come on, action out front!"

 

"What?"

 

_"Balmudo's gonna get his face mangled!"_

 

Not willing to pass up an opportunity like that, Davey cried in glee, _"All right!"_ He jumped over the booth to get to the action.

 

Francine, who was with Willie, saw Davey’s mad dash, and exclaimed, “Oh, my Gosh!"

 

Davey burst through the doors, ready for a fight... or at least assist in some way, blurting out, "Hey, where is that rat-face, Bal.. _muu..??"_ And then saw that he was surrounded.

 

Enraged, Balmudo grabbed Davey by the lapels, and roared, **_"You lookin' for a rat-face, mouse-brain?!"_** He threw Davey onto the concrete, ready to kill - maybe even literally... when suddenly a biker in dark leather and helmet with goggles roared by on his chopper, and kicked Balmudo right in the chest, sending him sprawling onto his bike.

 

Balmudo righted himself, his entire body shuddering with fury, and screamed to his lieutenants, **_"GET THAT... GET THAT MUTHAAAAAA!"_**

As the Cycle Lords tore away to deal with their quarry, the bowlers gathered at the doors to watch the battle. Pink Ladies to the left, T-Birds to the right.

_Who, who, who's that guy?_

_Who, who, who's that guy?_

_Davey:_

_He came out of the darkness_

_in the middle of the night!_

_Blazin' like a mutha_

_with a fist of dynamite!_

 

_T-Birds:_

_He ain't foolin' no one_

_on that pile of chrome and steel!_

_Burnin' up the pavement_

_like he was some kind of wheel!_

 

The Cycle Lords were lined up, an eerie, dangerous sight, their headlights casting a glare.

_He's lookin' for a rumble_

_and some heads are gonna bust!_

_He's gonna take a tumble_

_with one solitary thrust!_

 

Had enough of being on the sidelines, the T-Birds and Pink Ladies charged from the doors, followed by Stacie, Gracie, Bernie, Helen, Aurelio, Donna, Francine, and Dolores.

**_The only thing you guys are gonna do_ **

**_is eat his dust!_ **

 

_Who's that guy?_

_Where did he come from?_

 

_Who's that guy?_

_Lone Rider:_

_Hey, tell me someone_

The Cycle Lords smugly approached him in a Flying V formation; Lone Rider just tore right through them, splitting up their formation like a speedboat tearing through a wave.

 

_I never knew anyone could be so cool_

_Whoa-oh-ho, who's that guy?_

****

_T-Birds:_

_What's so amazin'?_

Lone Rider was tear-assing through the parking lot, the Cycle Lords having a rough time chasing him. Whoever he was (like we don't know), he was whipping their piddly butts.

_Cycle Lords:_

_From headlight to tailpipe_

_His burners are blazin'!_

 

_Pink Ladies:_

_Looks to me like he could really flyyyyy!_

 

_Who's that guy?_

_Who, who, who's that guy?_

 

Balmudo tried to chase Lone Rider but he skidded and slid, nearly tossing Balmudo from his bike. Lone Rider tore right towards him and ran over Balmudo’s front wheel!

 

As Lone Rider darted away, Balmudo angrily revved his bike, ready for another round.

_Davey:_

_He wears a pair of goggles_

_like a man from outer space._

 

"Aww, shut up!" Johnny snapped as he and Goose shoved Davey in annoyance.

_Steph:_

_It really doesn't matter_

_that I haven't seen his face!_

_Cycle Lords:_

_We're gonna wrap those handlebars_

_around that neck of his!_

 

Balmudo:

**_The punk is gonna get it!_ **

 

_T-Birds:_

_When we find out who he is!_

 

Lone Rider was shredding the pavement, Cool Rider now his loyal, thunderous, deadly steed.

 

_Lone Rider:_

**_Everybody wants you_ **

**_when they don't know who you are!_ **

 

_Pink Ladies:_

_If you're a man of mystery_

_it really takes you far!_

 

Lone Rider was really getting into the battle! No doubt about it, this was a bona-fide _battle,_ a motorcycle jousting tournament! He reveled in the chaos he wrought with the enemy cyclers, _knowing_ he had Stephanie as an audience! If there's one thing cyclers are known for, it's showing off!

 

_Everyone around you_

_thinks that you're a **star!**_

 

_Who's that guy?_

_Paulette:_

_Where did he come from?_

_Who's that guy?_

_Steph: (Pleading)_

_Where can I get one?_

_Lone Rider:_

_They never knew_

_that I could be so cool!_

_Whoa-oh-ho, Who's that guy?_

 

Lone Rider took his bike up, and parked _on top of a car!_

_On that motorcycle?_

 

The sound of an approaching police car caused Balmudo to warn his subordinates, "Hey! _Cops!"_

 

The Cycle Lord goons departed, leaving the T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Lone Rider, and the bystanders safe, for now.

_  
_

_Lone Rider:_

_What would they say if_

_they knew it was Michael?_

 

_Looks to me like he could really fly._

_Won't somebody_ **tell** _me?_

 

_Lone Rider:_

_Who's that guy?_

_Who's that guy?_

 

After the Cycle Lords were gone, and Lone Rider drove down from the car and shot off into the shadows, the action was over, and everyone sidled back to what they were doing, although shaken by the occurrence.

 

“Whew!” Sharon stated in shock, "Pretty cool stuff."

 

Johnny looked uneasy. He, the T-Birds, and their rivals, had just been upstaged by a newcomer. A newcomer who saved their butts.

 

Shedding his seeming vulnerability, he stepped up, the T-Birds flanking him, and said commandingly, "Everybody inside.….. We _bowl!"_

 

"All right!"

 

Dolores cheered, **_"Yeah, we bowl!"_** She dashed inside.

 

Johnny stood, watching the others slide by him. It was clear he was upset by what happened. He may be tough... but he was really shaken by being upstaged.

 

Sharon asked as they walked to the bowling alley, "Hey, DiMucci, did you see that?"

 

"Yeah, I saw it," he replied, equally stunned by what he'd witnessed.

 

Steph was standing by a white car, trembling a little, looking off into the distance.

 

Sharon invited, "Come on, Steph."

 

Steph said, her voice a little uneasy, "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes, okay?"

 

She'd seen the man of her dreams and she was visibly shaken. She told off that geek Michael, rejecting him outright, telling him she would only be with `A Cool Rider'... who she just now saw in the flesh.

 

Paulette asked, "Hey, what's eatin' you?"

 

"Nothin'!" Steph replied defensively.

 

They weren't buying it. The Pink Ladies broke away from their guys to check on Steph.

 

Davey asked Goose, "Got a light?"

 

The Pink Ladies walked to Steph as Goose lit Davey's smoke, but he looked at the younger T-Bird as if thinking, `You’re too young to smoke. Bad enough _we_ smoke so much’.

 

Sharon leaned on the white car and spoke confidentially, relaying a rumor she heard, "Uh, you know, Steph, there's been talk."

 

Rhonda clarified, _"We_ haven't been talkin'. But there _has_ been talk, Steph, questioning your loyalty to the Birds."

 

Paulette added, since _she_ wanted Johnny, "It doesn't mean you gotta go steady with Johnny. In fact I think it's better for both of you that it's over."

 

Sharon admitted, "Yeah, but the code _does_ say we're T-Bird chicks, at least till grad. Let's go, Louis."

 

Steph snapped, annoyed by the restrictions, "Yeah? Well, maybe I’m tired of being someone's chick!"

 

Rhonda couldn't believe she heard that, _"`Tired of being someone's chick'?_ Are you feeling OK?!"

 

Goose called out, "Yo, Ritter."

 

Rhonda gave up, and turned, "Yo, Goose."

 

As she departed, Steph chuckled, still shaken, emotionally aroused, nervous, _"I dunno what I’m feelin'."_

 

Paulette offered her a smoke, "Here, have a ciggie. Maybe it'll make you feel better."

 

As Goose and Rhonda walked into the bowling Alley, he sighed, "Those guys are show-offs."

 

Back at the car, Steph was having a hard time lighting her cigarette, muttering around the cigarette in her mouth, "I hate these kind of matches. Did you get them from the liquor store down the street?"

 

"No."

 

Suddenly, a leather-gloved hand came into view, a lit Zippo in it. As Paulette stared in shock, Steph immediately lit up and said, "Oh, thanks." And then she looked up …and saw her Cool Rider!

 

He stared at her silently, thumbing the Zippo shut as Steph stared in shock. She was shaken to her core! Her dream guy, right in front of her.

 

He asked in a soft but deep voice, "Want a ride?"

 

Steph chewed her lip, squirming a bit, nervous. Instantly hot for him. They turned as they heard the police sirens getting closer. He said softly, a rain-check , "Some other time."

 

As Lone Rider began his departure, Johnny, who was getting a pack of smokes from the vending machine, looked out and saw Lone Rider with his ex-woman, and he was visibly disturbed.

_Whoa-oh-ho, Who's that guy?_

_Who's that guy?_

 

A police cruiser arrived, and blocked the exit from the bowling alley. That couldn’t stop Lone Rider and his trusty steed! He tore right towards the cop car, on an apparent collision course... ‘

_Who's that guy?_

 

...and executed a damn near _impossible_ superhuman jump right over the car, and tore off into the darkness.

 

Steph and Paulette rushed up to the cop car to watch Lone Rider speed away, the confused cop looked to them, wondering what the hell just happened.

_Who.. who.. who?_

_Whoa-oh-ho, Who's that guy?_

 

Back at the vending machine, Johnny looked worriedly at the proceedings, deep in thought. He lost Steph once, and now he was losing her again, this time to a guy she barely knew.

He sighed, then walked away.


	11. Part 10: Let's Do It For Our Country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael proudly admits to Frenchy that, as Lone Rider, he `Knocked that girl right out of her socks', but as himself, he had no chance with her. He planned to admit to Steph that he was her dream guy, but he relented.
> 
> Louis took Sharon to Michael's uncle's bomb shelter, jimmying the lock with a screwdriver, and tried to trick her into `Doing IT for their country' under the pretense of a nuclear attack by the Russians.

**Part 11: Let's Do It For Our Country**

 

The next morning, in the chemistry lab, at work on her chemistry studies, Frenchy prodded Michael with a knowing grin, "I heard there was this motorcycle chase outside the Bowl-a-Rama last night..."

 

"Oh, yeah?" Michael pressed.

 

"..And according to one Paulette Rebchuck, this very mysterious and _gorgeous_ guy... knocked one Stephanie Zinone **_right out of her bobby socks!!"_** She demanded playfully, _"How do you plead?!"_

 

"I am guilty," he admitted proudly. But, when she giggled delightedly, he got serious, and said, "Great. But now what?"

 

She squeaked worriedly, "We've got a problem."

 

He said, acknowledging his limitations, "On that motorcycle, in that gear, I knocked that girl out of her socks." He indicated his (supposedly) plain form, dejectedly, "But like this..."

 

"You'll knock her right _into_ her socks."

 

"Simple, I have to tell her. Next time I see her... Come here." She came around the lab table, and he continued, "Next time I see her, I’m going to walk up to her and say, `Steph'..."

 

"Uh-oh!" Frenchy squeaked as, if on cue, the Pink Ladies entered, Steph in the lead. They were giggling as they entered, then stopped abruptly when they saw Michael.

 

Steph gazed at Michael, and it wasn't a friendly look. It was more like, `Great, it's _him.'_

 

Frenchy covered and greeted sweetly, "Hiya, girls!"

 

Rhonda ribbed Steph, "Your boyfriend's here."

 

Steph was not amused.

 

Rhonda looked around at the lab and said in amazement, "Look at all of this stuff!"

 

As Michael tried to shrink away, Sharon asked mockingly, "Having a facial?" She wasn't really mean about it, just a jibe, because Frenchy was majoring in cosmetics.

 

Michael replied softly, as he was now surrounded by potential enemies, "Yeah."

 

While Michael tried to slink closer to Stephanie, Rhonda picked up a small vial from the table, sniffed it, and cooed, "Delish!"

 

She held it up for Paulette to take a sniff, and was met with an "Ugh!" of disgust as Paulette flinched from the smell.

 

As the others were otherwise busy, Michael slid over to Steph as she applied some lipstick, and he said softly, "Steph?"

 

She responded, still applying lipstick, puckering, "What?"

 

"Do you...?"

 

"What?"

 

He asked uneasily, "Have you...?" he gave up, and asked, "...e-ever read a Superman comic?"

 

She looked at him strangely and responded, "Not in the last few hours."

 

He faltered, blinked, tapped his forehead `What was I thinking? We were in classes all day.’ and sighed in defeat, "Uh.. I was just checking. Right?" He looked to Frenchy, who looked on with pity, "Just checking."

 

As he departed, taking his sack lunch, Rhonda said, "He needs the guidance counselor."

 

Frenchy then noticed the bandage on Rhonda's nose, and cried, **_"Rhonda, you got a nose job!"_**

 

"Forget it, I walked into a door."

 

Sharon sniped, "So she says."

 

                In McGee's office, Blanche was cranking the rotary handle of an air-raid siren, as since it was the Cold War with Russia, they needed to run hypothetical attack drills to keep the students safe. And that bugger was excruciatingly _loud!_

 

**_WEEEEEEEEERRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!_ **

 

As the siren was blaring, Mrs. McGee was on the P.A. reassuring the students, "Attention, attention, please. This is a test. I repeat, this is a test. Please do not panic."

 

                Int. Hallway.

 

While the siren blared, Mrs. McGee’s announcement was totally drowned out in the hallway as Coach Calhoun was drilling an athletic student, "Nuclear war is like football: if the Russians throw the bomb, you intercept it and ram it down their end zone. It's like life. Somebody throws something, you throw it back."

 

Back in the Office, Mrs. McGee continued, "Please proceed to your nearest shelter."

 

In a sonically-induced frenzy, Blanche grabbed the microphone and cried out in panic, **_"Boys to one side, girls to the other! Run, run, run!"_**

 

"Blanche, please! Do not _panic!"_

 

Blanche sobbed as the siren gurgled back to silence, **_"Oh, Miss McGee, it's so loud!!"_**

 

As she held the sobbing Blanche and patted her on the back, Mrs. McGee said, her voice cracking, "Please.. do not panic."

 

                Later, Night, at Michael's Bomb Shelter, Louis brought Sharon down the steps to the Michael’s shelter

 

Sharon asked, "How did you talk me into this?"

 

"You trust President Kennedy?" He asked as he jimmied the lock with a screwdriver, the cranked the door wheel.

 

"Of course."

 

As the door opened, Louis stated, "All right. Kennedy says we gotta be prepared for a nucleoid war."

 

She corrected, "It's _nuclear,_ Louis."

 

No time to bandy with proper pronunciation, he shrugged, "Yeah. Nuclelar, nucular... a bomb's a bomb."

 

As Sharon slowly crept inside the shelter, Louis looked up to see Goose and Davey quietly sidling down the steps with the pilfered air raid siren. Before the door closed, Louis gave the A-OK signal to his compatriots.

 

In the shelter, Lois CLANKED the door shut, and Sharon squeaked in alarm. The emergency light flashed then went dark when the door closed, and Louis was showing the amenities of the comfortable space.

 

He grabbed one of the cots folded up against the wall, popped it loose, and let it snap into place with a clank. "This is an official fallout shelter bed."

 

They sat silently for several moments, when Louis said softly, "Hey, you gotta be prepared, 'cause some day, when you least expect it... **_Ka-blam! Nucleoid war!"_**

 

That was the signal. Outside the door, Goose cranked up the siren while Davey held it still.

 

**_Ahhhh-WHEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!_ **

 

Sharon cried in alarm, "What's that?!"

 

Louis said reverently, stood, and saluted, "It's started."

_America_ _is calling_

_Let's care enough to give our very best_

 

"What started?! What's happening, Louis?!"

 

He grabbed her and warned, "The Russians are attacking! _Get down!"_

 

_For if we give our very best_

_I know that we will more than_

_pass the test_

 

Sharon struggled in his grip, "Get off me!

 

"Think about it," he said, looking into her eyes, "What if we died here tonight without ever doing it?"

 

"It"?" She knew what he meant, and she was not ready yet, "Oh, my God! Let me out of here, Louis!"

 

_"Are you crazy? They're dropping bombs out there!"_

 

Outside, Goose let go of the siren, and had a glass pressed up against the door, listening in.

 

_Yeah, let's do it for our country_

_The red, white and the blue_

_It's Uncle Sam who's asking_

_So your mother will approve_

 

He got down to his knees.

_Tomorrow I’ll be fighting_

_And I’ll win this war for you_

_Let's do it for our country_

_Our country wants us to._

 

"Oh, Louis!" She cried, smiling, misunderstanding the double meaning of his song.

 

_Bullets are exploding_

_They'll soon be at the door_

_Give something to_ _America_

_you never gave before!_

 

_Yeah, let's do it for our country_

_The red, white and the blue_

 

Sharon asked, "Are you sure my mother would approve?"

 

He replied, more interested in her, not her mother's approval, "Your mother don't even have to know about it, Sharon."

 

"And you think we're old enough to go?"

 

He unhooked the bed from the wall, snapped it down, patted it as he replied, a double-meaning, _"All the way."_

 

"But, Louis, you might get hurt!” She saw imaginary wounds on him, "Oh, _God!"_

 

Dressing herself in vintage WWII Nurse's cape and hat, she opened a first aid kit and wrapped up his nonexistent wounds with bandages, his arms and head.

 

He prodded, "Just think about it, Sharon! It would be like doing it for the Statue of Liberty!"

 

"Or the Grand Canyon!"

 

He just _had_ to add a baseball analogy, "Or The New York Yankees!"

 

They said as one, "It'd be like we would be doing it for... For _Disneyland_ _!"_

 

_Both:_

_Let's do it for our country_

_The red, white and the blue_

_It's not a lot to ask of us_

_Our parents will approve_

_  
_

_Sharon_ _:_

_You'll be a mighty soldier!_

_Louis:_

_Before this night is through!_

_Sharon & Louis: _

_Let's do it for our country_

_Louis:_

We _owe it_ to our country

_Both:_

_Let's do it for our country!_

_Our country.. wants.. us.. to!_

 

She lay back in the bed, saying eagerly, "I'm ready, Louis."

 

"Me, too," He replied, going in for the high score... when Sharon jumped off of the bed.

 

"Hurry, come on! Let’s go to my house!"

 

As she dashed to the door, he cried out, **_"No, don't!"_**

 

But it was too late. She yanked the door open, and Goose and Davey rolled in and landed on the floor.

 

Knowing the jig was up, Goose jibed, "Oops! Guess you didn't get any, huh, DiMooch?"

 

Poor horn-dog Louis looked defeated as he sat on the bunk dejectedly.

 

Sharon was aghast! All of that was just to get into her bloomers! **_"Louis DiMucci! Oh, God!"_** She cried out as she scrambled out of the shelter, **_"Oh, how could you do this?!"_**

 

Davey giggled fiendishly as Goose just shrugged `well you win some you lose some'.


	12. Part 11: Ride With The Cool Rider / Prowlin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lone Rider surprises Steph at her gas station job and takes her for a wonderful ride, where they get to know each other better, though he's still wearing his helmet and gear.  
> The T-Birds and Pink Ladies arrive, and Johnny's upset at seeing `his' girl with another.  
> After their significant others depart, the T-Birds, feeling frisky, launch into a fully melodized rendition of their song `Prowlin'.

**Part 12: Ride With The Cool Rider/ Prowlin'**

 

Steph was hard at work, closing up the hood of a truck she was working on, trying to handle all of the customers solo.

 

She walked over to another car, a convertible, "That'll be about $1.50."

 

Before she could accept the payment, an older guy asked, "Hey, will you get my windshield?"

 

"Yeah. Hold on. Just a second."

 

The impatient customer in the convertible demanded, not caring that she was stretched enough as it was, "Hey, miss, can I pay so I can get out of here??"

 

She responded, a bit flustered, "Yeah, look, hold on just one minute, OK?" She finished up and got to the impatient guy, "Sorry."

 

He said a bit tersely, "It's all right."

 

As she was getting the guy's change, a familiar figure sidled up to a pump on his `Cool Rider' motorized steed.

 

She counted off his change, "OK, that's two, three, four, five."

 

An Impatient lady snapped, "Where are the maps?!"

 

Steph asked, trying to get to everyone at the same time, "What kind you want?"

 

 _"Street_ maps!"

 

"Yeah?" She grabbed a stack of maps and tried to get them ready for the snotty-sounding lady.

 

Lone Rider asked after he'd filled up, "Hey, miss, what do I owe you?"

 

"Umm," She checked the meter, "... fifty cents."

 

She slowly turned... and stopped short, elated at the sight of her `Cool Rider'. She stared at him longingly, flustered.

 

"How about that ride?" He asked gently.

 

Angry old geezer yelled, _"Hey, how about my windshield?!"_

 

Impatient man’s snotty wife demanded, "Excuse me! You forgot our green stamps!"

 

Another impatient man snapped, "We're in a hurry! What about the maps?!"

 

Finally, Steph had had enough of the noise, and her dream guy was waiting for her. She decided `screw these hacks!' and hopped onto Lone Rider's ride.

 

Angry old geezer yelled, **_"Are you going to get this windshield or not?! Come on!"_**

 

Impatient man and his snotty wife drove away in an huff, the wife looking at her husband in annoyance; They didn't get their green stamps!

 

Angry Old geezer kept hammering on the horn, so Steph cried in defiance, tossing the maps into the wind, **_"Honk that horn where the sun don't shine!"_**

 

The manager, Jake, came out of the office / store and called after her, "Steph, where are you going?!"

 

As a saxophone rendition of `Cool Rider' played overhead, Lone Rider and Steph were tearing down the road.

 

On the ride, Steph managed to slide around Lone Rider, and straddle him while sitting on the handlebars, while he was riding. A dangerous stunt, but Lone Rider was to well self-trained to let anything happen.

 

Later that evening, dusk had fallen. Lone Rider and Steph sat atop his steed as the sun set, and kissed passionately.

 

"Oh, I can't stop shivering," Steph said softly, when they disengaged.

 

"Then hold on," He said as he started up his bike.

 

 _"That's_ what's making me shiver," she admitted.

 

As they drove back in the darkness, both were smiling, having been with each other and getting closer.

 

Later, they finally arrived back at the station.

 

"Great ride."

 

He stated softly, "We're home."

 

"Shoot," she whispered, hugging him a little tighter, sad the wonderful ride was over.

 

After they dismounted, Steph went over to the window to check her hair. She looked up to see Lone Rider, his arms raised invitingly for a comforting embrace. She leaned into his embrace, holding him gently.

 

A dream come true for both of them.

 

As they held each other, Lone Rider said shakily, with a nervous smile, _"I'm_ the one that can't stop shivering now!"

 

"Why?"

 

"Because..." He started to remove his goggles, "There's something I should tell you."

 

"What?" She asked, her cheek against his chest.

 

He looked up and saw trouble; The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, on approach. "Oh, no. We've got company!"

 

 _Of course… it's_ always _something!_

 

He hurriedly placed his goggles back on and started up his bike.

 

On approach, Louis saw Lone Rider with `Johnny's' woman and exclaimed, **_"Check this out!"_**

 

Lone Rider gunned his engine, ready to leave before a brawl ensued, as Steph cried out, "Wait, I can handle these guys!"

 

As the Birds pulled in, Davey recognized him, and called, **_"That's the dude who popped Balmudo!"_**

 

Goose yelled, **_"Look who he's poppin' now!"_**

 

As Lone Rider geared up for departure, Steph cried out over the roar of the engine, "When am I gonna see you again?!"

 

He pulled away, and called to her, "Friday night! Talent Show!"

 

Johnny commanded, moving forward, "Let's go!"

 

Lone Rider zoomed past the T-Birds, calling out to Stephanie, _"Out front, you hear?"_

 

Steph wondered aloud, confused, "`Talent Show'?" As the Birds pulled up to the station and put their bikes into neutral, she finished that thought - Lone Rider wasn't a Rydell student - "How'd _he_ know?" As the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies dismounted, Steph strode to them, trying to downplay the situation, "Hi. What are you guys doin'?"

 

Johnny asked softly, upset, "What's the story with the creep on the bike, Zinone?"

 

"What?"

 

"The story. The creep," Johnny reiterated.

 

Goose echoed, "Yeah, the creep, the story, Stephanie."

 

Rhonda admonished softly. _"Shut up,_ Goose."

 

Paulette said angrily, "Why don't you just leave her alone?"

 

Johnny pointed to Paulette, _"You…_ shut up." As Paulette flared with anger, he turned to Steph and demanded, "And _you,_ let's have it."

 

"What?"

 

**_"The story!"_ **

 

Sharon stepped in, trying to mediate, "Personally, I think..."

 

 ** _"We don't care,_** ** _Sharon_** ** _!"_** Johnny, Goose, and Davey cried as one, but Louis raised his hand to stop them; Sharon was a buttinsky, but she was _his_ girl. He already ticked her off, but she didn’t bench him. If she got more mad at him, she’d boot his ass out of the ball park!

 

Johnny snapped, heated, "Look, Zinone, no chick of mine messes with no other creep except _this_ o..." he stopped, realized what he said, corrected, "...except me!"

 

 _"`No chick of yours'?!"_ Paulette asked incredulously.

 

Rhonda sniped, "Someone's jealous."

 

Paulette asked, voice quaking, "How come you never get jealous like that over me, Johnny?!"

 

He answered defensively, "`Cause I ain't jealous!"

 

Steph said softly, icily, "Why don't you stay out of my life, then, huh, Johnny?"

 

As she departed, he cried, **_"I'm out!"_** As she walked away, he yelled, **_"I catch you with that punk one more time, I’m gonna rearrange his face! He's a dead man, you know what I'm sayin'?! D-E-D!"_**

 

Paulette was steaming mad. Johnny wanted her, then Steph, then her again! She cried, "Look, you better decide once and for all who belongs to who around here!"

 

"Come on, Paulette, you're making a scene," he replied, backing away a bit from her fury.

 

She cried, distraught, **_"Because I’m getting all mixed up and I don't like how that feels one little bit!!"_**

 

As she stormed to the entrance of the station's store, Johnny replied, "You know, you're embarrassing me." Then, he grabbed the lever of an air compressor, and **PSSSSHT!!!** Sent a jet of air at her rump, causing her skirt to blow. She squealed and departed into the station store.

 

Going after her, Sharon said, "I think you owe Paulette an apology!"

 

Rhonda walked by, leaning in to tell him off, _"Jerk!"_

 

"Where are you goin'?” Goose asked, then gave up, sighing, “Ahh, forget about it."

 

As they walked away, Davey lamented, "Weirdoes." However, he can't really talk, because he's the only T-Bird who's bereft of a Pink Lady girlfriend.

 

Goose moaned, "Who needs broads?"

 

Louis answered, **_"Me!”_** He swung his arm out, “I get to second base with Sharon, and I keep getting called out when I try to slide into third!" He finished, imitating a home-slide with his hands.

 

Goose ribbed, "Yeah, poor guy bombed out in the bomb shelter."

 

Davey cackled as Louis protested with a smirk, pointing, "Hey..!" But Goose was right; The bomb shelter fiasco was an epic _flop!_

 

Johnny said confidently, "Yeah, I think we could all use a little guaranteed..." he whistled twice, made an `all the way' gesture with his fingers, which Goose emulated, "...all-the-way action. And I know just the place."

 

“Yeah?” Goose asked, then went to his knee…

 

_Well, come on and tell us, Johnny!_

_Louis:_

_What's the secret of success?_

_Johnny:_

_You gotta take a tip,_

_from the Kiiiiiiing of Hip._

_'Cause you know that heeeeee's the beeeeeeest!_

 

_We're goin' prowlin'_

_We're goin' prowlin'!_

_Tonight!_

 

The T-Birds mounted their rides and rode off to their destination, Goose howling.

 

**_Whah-wooow!_ **

 

The T-Birds strode towards their destination, singing

_Johnny:_

_You say you're hungry for a lover._

_Gotta find a chick who'll give you more._

_Well there's a spot that I've discovered._

_Where a guy's guaranteed to score._

 

The T-Birds were on a stage, the backdrop was a white screen.

_I'm gonna show you cats some action._

_Like you've never seen before! ('fore)_

_We're gonna get some satisfaction ('faction)._

_Down at the grocery store!_

_We're goin' prowlin'! (Walk, talk like a T-Bird)_

_We're goin' prowlin'! (Walk, talk like a T-Bird)_

_We're goin' prow-wow-wow-lin'_

_tonight!_

 

The screen came to life, backlit, where we could see the silhouettes of three women at their cash registers. These silhouetted cashiers danced accordingly to the song; Dancing, posing.

_All:_

_There's a female butcher_

_Goose:_

_Uh-huh_

_All:_

_At the luncheon meat display_

_Goose:_

_Well, don'tcha know?_

_All:_

_Got the best tongue in town_

_Goose:_

_That's right!_

_All:_

_She delivers both night and day!_

 

The silhouetted cashier girls `bagged groceries', then `tallied their receipts' on their cash registers then sent their shopping carts rolling away

 

_You'll see the apple of your eye._

_Stacking peaches in a five-foot pile._

_Just waitin' for some guy to come._

_And take her rollin' down the aisle!_

 

The silhouetted girls posed in front of their registers, the beehive-wearing girl putting on her lipstick.

_We're goin' Prowlin'!..._

 

_Louis:_

_I like a debutante that comes across._

_Now, that's what I call class!_

_Davey:_

_I like a tall girl with long legs_

_that come right up to her..._

 

Goose cut in right in time to cut Davey off

 

_You know what I like?_

_I like a girl who's really smart._

_Provided that she's really_ stacked!

 

_Johnny:_

_Yeah? Well, I love 'em all._

_And they_ love _me_

**_'Cause I’m the leader of this here pack!_ **

_T-Birds_

_Yeah, we're gonna find ourselves some cuties_

_Johnny_

_Little cuties!_

_T-Birds_

_Who are sad and all alone_

_Johnny:_

_All alo-o-o-oooone!_

_T-Birds_

_We're gonna show them little beauties_

_Johnny_

_Little beauties!_

_All:_

**_That we're T-Birds to the bone!_ **

 

_We're goin' prowlin'! (Walk, talk like a T-Bird)_

_We're goin' prowlin'! (Walk, talk like a T-Bird)_

_We're goin' prow-wow-wow-lin'_

_toni-i-i-ight!_

 

 

As they danced off the stage, the T-Birds (sans Johnny) went to behind the screen, Louis cheered, "Goose, go for the sales tax!" and proceeded to chase the attractive cashier girls around the stage, whooping and laughing as the girls squealed.

 

 

As they chased the girls off, Johnny stated triumphantly, _"Very nice!_ Very nice, we could win those albumens yet!"

 

Goose seconded, "We can _win_ those albumens!"

 

Louis quipped, “Boom, boom, boom, let’s go.”

 

Davey reminded them, "We gotta get rid of the competition."

 

Johnny scoffed, "Competition, nothin'!"

 

Goose mocked as they strode off stage, "Competition, _ah-buh-buh-bh-buh!"_

 


	13. Part 12: Different Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to her being preoccupied with `Lone Rider', Stephanie's schoolwork has suffered. Michael sees an opportunity to get a little closer to her as himself, offering to assist her. As they sat together in a burger joint, Steph's train of thought inevitably steers towards `Lone Rider' - who is Michael's alter-ego.  
> After some banter, she opens up to Michael, and he to her, commenting on how `she's kind of terrific', despite her opinion otherwise. Unfortunately, the "Pink Lady Code" is the monkey-wrench in the gears of their potential relationship.  
> Johnny and Goose arrive and make things hard for Steph. Johnny - unusually emotionally upset - declares their `official' break-up in an attempt to draw her back.

**Part 13: Different Worlds**

 

Ms. Mason was at her desk, reading several reports, "Well, there is some very good work here…"

She then stated in disappointment, referring to one report which dissatisfied her immensely, "And there is also some very   _sloppy_ work  here. Miss, uh, Zinone… I would like to see you about your Shakespeare essay."

 

Steph looked up in surprise, wondering how she did badly.

 

Michael, who was seated at a desk behind hers, looked up in interest. Steph’s doing badly? Maybe he could assist her in some way.

 

As Ms. Mason motioned for a very upset Stephanie to come up to her desk, Mrs. McGee's voice sounded over the PA.

 

**_"Attention, please. A few reminders of graduation activities. The final dress rehearsal for the Talent Show is Thursday afternoon. All students on the_ ** **_decoration committee for the Lani Kai Lani Luau report to Coach Calhoun after school today."_ **

 

Michael stood at the stairway railing as Johnny, Paulette, Goose, and Rhonda filed out.

 

While her fellow Pink Ladies descended the stairs, Steph stormed into the stairwell, muttering, "Nobody knows about this stuff anyway!"

Michael asked gently, "I take it she didn't like your paper?"

 

"No kidding!" She said angrily, mocking Ms. Mason, high pitched voice, "I gotta write the _`whole thing over again!'"_

 

He offered kindly, "Do you want some help?"

 

"I don't know," she responded dejectedly.

 

As she turned to leave, Michael said, a hopeful invitation, "Think it over. It's not a difficult decision."

 

He descended the stairs, giving her space.

 

Paulette, who was at the bottom of the stairs, called, "Hey, Steph, you comin'?"

 

Michael turned and looked up hopefully. Steph looked at him from the top of the stairs, realizing he was genuinely interested in helping her.

 

"Yeah,” She responded to Paulette’s query, then said to Michael, “I'll think about it."

 

They locked eyes meaningfully.

 

Michael smiled, nodded to the Pink Ladies, and departed. Steph kept looking at him even as he left, as if truly seeing him for the first time.

 

              Later, at the Burger Joint (Cadillac Jack's Diner), they sat at a table, sipping colas, Steph examining herself in the reflective surface of a spoon, her schoolwork in front of her.

 

She said, "I don't usually do this bad in English. I got other stuff on my mind these days."

 

"Can I help?"

 

"No, it's not school. Let's just get this stuff over with."

 

_Gee, that sounds encouraging. `Get this stuff over with'._

 

He replied softly, not pushing her, "All right. Where do you want to start?"

 

She couldn't hold it any longer and sighed in frustration, back on why she was so moody, "It's this _guy!"_

 

"What guy?"

 

She realized she opened up too much again, and shied away, "Forget it."

 

He said gently, not pushing her, "I'm trying. You're not making it very easy."

 

She then unloaded, now that she really did have a sympathetic ear, "I had this idea of Mr. Right, which was a stupid idea, right?"

 

"Right..." He feigned agreement.

 

She said in exasperation and disbelief, "And out of nowhere he shows up! Like some dream or something!"

 

"Who?"

 

"Mr. Right!" She replied.

 

"Oh, right." He knew she was referring to his Lone Rider persona... but she didn't know that yet.

 

She continued, disturbed, "I've seen him twice now, and both times he's wearing these goggles, I don't even know who he is!"

"Mr. Right?"

 

"Don't you think that's kind of weird? Not _`weird'_ weird but, like..." she said softly, _"Exciting_ weird?"

 

"So, what's the problem, then?" He asked gently.

 

She admitted, "Well, maybe underneath it all, he's just not everything I imagined. What if behind those goggles, he's just, like, some ordinary guy?"

 

Michael prodded gently, "What if he is... _eh?"_ This was actually _him_ she was talking about.

 

She backed away, realizing that she was getting to swept up in the emotion wrought by the enigmatic Lone Rider.

 

She said softly as a waitress brought her burger and fries to the table, "What if maybe we should get back to the Shakespeare essay?"

 

"Stephanie...."

 

She continued, getting back on track, Re. schoolwork, "You know what, I figured out what Hamlet's big problem is..." She opened her burger and said loudly, to the cooks _, "No ketchup!!"_

 

He knew what she meant, but he joked, lightening up the tense mood, "He seemed to get along OK without it."

 

She griped, "They never put ketchup on, even when you ask for it! How can you eat a hamburger with no ketchup?!”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied softly, wanting to get back on track.

 

“Could you shoot that over here?" She asked, pointing to a ketchup squirt-bottle on the table. He slid it over, and she dolloped some on her burger, "Where were we?"

 

He replied, again a small joke, "Well, uh, you figured out the problem with their hamburgers: No ketchup."

 

She then returned to the subject of Hamlet, "Right. And you know what his big problem is? No laughs. The guy's gotta lighten up, right?"

 

“Right.”

 

She enthusiastically swung the burger up to Michael's face, _"Bite?"_

 

It was right up in his face, but he refused politely, "No, thanks." He then asked for clarification, "Uh… who are we talking about now?"

 

She mumbled through a mouthful of burger, _"Hammut."_

 

"Oh, right." He picked up and glanced at her essay, read a part of it, chuckled, looked at her, then back to the paper, amused, "`Hamlet went totally nuts when he caught his mother doing it in the sack with his uncle'."

 

"Not so great, right?" She asked.

 

He encouraged, because despite the slang - which was most likely the reason it was rejected - "You seem to have the right idea. But you could've said something like, um, `Hamlet, uh, was tormented by his mother's…” he paused briefly, considering the right word, “…incestuous relationship with his uncle'."

 

She giggled enthusiastically, bounced up and down gleefully, and repeated, _"`incestuous relation…'!_ Oh, God, Mason's gonna _flip_ when she reads this!"

She read out as she wrote on her notepad, "`in _cest_ uous'." She looked at him in wonder, "You're a really smart guy, you know that? You must think I am some kinda dummy, huh?"

 

`I call "bullshit" on that' he seemed to be thinking as he gazed at her with affection, and said with deep feeling, "Actually, I think you're kind of terrific."

 

She scoffed playfully, "Get outta here. _You're_ the terrific one. I mean, you know all this deep junk and everything."

 

He shrugged and said modestly, "I don't understand that deep junk any better than you do, really. I just, uh, seem to know a few big words that impress English teachers, like our friend Ms. Mason, that's all."

 

She said, an admission, "Well, you impressed _me._ And I give credit to who I want, OK?"

 

He corrected her gently, "`To whom'."

 

She retorted, more playful than annoyed, "To who, to whom, to _you,_ that's whom!" She said softly, "So learn how to take a compliment, all right?"

 

It was difficult for her to open up to someone not in her clique, someone she’d rejected earlier, but Michael was really getting under her skin. Maybe deeper.

 

He wasn't used to getting compliments from the Cool Crowd, especially not from their queen, so he smiled, nodded, and agreed, "All right."

 

A moment between them, opening up themselves to one another.

 

She called to the waitress, "Hey, how about a hamburger for my friend here?! Loaded!"

 

He said for clarification, "Uh, with ketchup!"

 

 _"Double_ ketchup!" She looked up at him and smiled as she snapped up a French Fry.

 

              San Fernando Blvd, Johnny and Goose were zipping down the street, astride their trusty cycles, heading for the burger joint.

 

As they rode, Johnny said confidently, "There are some very cool, very scoreable broads who hang out at this joint."

 

Goose agreed, "Cool. Scoreable. What-not?"

 

"Very nice."

 

Goose echoed in agreement, "Very nice."

 

              Back at the burger joint, Steph and Michael exited, concluding another conversation, and she said to him, "I bet there’s lots of girls at Rydell who would love to go with a guy like you."

 

Seeing an opportunity, he asked gently, "What about you?"

 

She scoffed, "Me? Yeah, right, are you kidding? That's all I need!"

 

He leaned back against the roof's support pillar, "No. I wasn't."

 

She realized that that might have sounded like an insult, "God, look, I didn't mean anything wrong... we're just different types, that's all."

 

"`Different types'? What do you mean?" He asked for clarification.

 

They'd gotten really close in the restaurant, he complimented her, she complimented him - a rarity! They'd made a lot of headway. He'd gone from `Gawd, what a nerd' to `You're a really smart guy'. They felt something for each other, more that what Johnny felt for her. What was keeping them apart?

 

She defended her choice, "Look, there's a Pink Lady code, OK?"

 

_Yep… that was the friggin' monkey wrench in the gears._

 

He sighed sadly in defeat, _"`Pink Lady Code.”_ He'd finally had it with trying to romantically pursue someone who used `the code' as a poor excuse to push him away. He said bitterly, "Well, to quote Dolores, _`The code stinks'."_

 

Johnny and Goose sidled up as Michael walked away.

 

Steph saw them arrive and realized that even though she can't be with Michael due to `the code', she did care about him, and he cared about her… _really_ deeply. She realized that he might make a dangerous enemy of the T-Birds, if he hadn't already.

 

"Hi," She greeted, a bit nervously.

 

Goose saw Michael depart, and asked, "So, what's this? Nerds' night out?"

 

"What are you, a cop?" She shot back sarcastically.

 

"Sure picked up a lot of new friends, Zinone," Johnny said with hint of venom, "I guess the T-Birds ain't the class act no more, huh?"

 

Goose parroted, "Yeah, I guess we ain't the class act no more, huh?"

 

"Goose," Johnny stated calmly.

 

"Yo, Johnny?"

 

"You wait for me inside," Johnny suggested.

 

"Johnny, I don't wanna eat alone."

 

_"Will you go on?!"_

 

Goose left, and Steph cried out, **_"What do you want, Johnny?!"_**

 

He started, finding it difficult to say what he felt, so he said instead, reverse psychology, "Yeah, well, uh... I just wanted to let you know that... I’m officially declaring us as an item officially over."

"Y- _you're_ declaring it?" She asked with a smirk. She declared it months ago!

 

"That's correct."

 

She said nervously, "Okay, fine, okay? You've declared it. It's over. Can I.. can I go now?"

As she tried to get away, he blocked her, and asked, clearly hurt, he was hoping she'd change her mind, "Just like that, huh?" He only wanted to `declare the breakup’ to get her to realize that it truly _was_ over, so she’d come back to him. He toughened up once again, "I got one more thing to say to you. That jacket you are wearing is T-Bird property. You wanna leave the party? Drop the jacket at the door on the way out. I got a rep to protect." He added softly, a threat, "So don't damage the rep, and we don't damage new friends, dig?"

 

Worried, she departed to the Pink Ladies car as Johnny struggled with trying to keep his cool.

 

Goose had been waiting by the entrance, and when Johnny strode up to the door, he asked, "Well, what happened? Did she, uh, take the nerd's brains over your brawns?"

 

Johnny grabbed Goose by his jacket lapels, pushed him up against the restaurant's storage locker, and yelled, **_"Look, I dumped_ her, _not versa-visa, got it?!"_**

 

"Sure, Johnny!" Johnny released Goose, regretting being so rough with his subordinate. His loss of Steph was hard on him, and he had to show that he was still tough, in charge. Goose patted Johnny on the shoulder and consoled, "Don't worry about it."

 

As he walked by the locker, Johnny grunted **_"Harrumph!"_** And kneed and punched it simultaneously in frustration. Goose mimicked that and kneed-punched the locker as well.

 

Michael had been standing nearby, watching Steph and Johnny.

**  
**


	14. Part 13: Charades And Pretty Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael is still pining for Steph, and he's torn between the charade of being Lone Rider and being himself. Is it worth the pain of being who / what he really isn't?

**Part 14: Charades And Pretty Lies**

 

There was a bustle of wild activity in the cafeteria. Students, male and female alike, crammed in, shuffling back and forth in the lunch rush.

 

The T-Birds cut in line, Goose stole a brownie, took a bite, then discarded the rest back on the plate. Bernie Dillard was bumped past by Louis, and they had a few inaudible words.

 

Stephanie was at the lunch counter, getting her food, when Davey cried out gleefully, "All right, cherry pie!"

 

He shoved right into Steph as he grabbed his snack, causing her to cry out, "Davey!" as she was pushed right into... Michael.

 

They stared at each other, both heartbroken.

 

As the lunch period student deluge progressed, Michael strode through the cafeteria with his tray up to avoid a collision.

 

_I'm all dressed up_

_In my finest attitude_

_Pretending_

_I don't care_

 

Michael dodged student traffic as, in the background, Davey and one of the other students were having a small humorous conversation, horsing around, Davey pattering his hand on the other's face and being pushed back, the guy pointing at Davey.

 

The T-Birds headed off to their tables, annoying other students on the way. Bernie bumped into Louis, pointed at him `Yeah, T-Bird, keep movin'.'

 

Francine rushed to her friends as Michael headed to his table .

_Guess I really messed up_

_By trying to be two_

_When only one heart_

_can be there._

 

As he sat alone at his table, Dolores was outside the window, calling Paulette over.

_Why can't I be_

_just what I am,_

_and speak my love,_

_without any shame?_

_Why can't she see_

_what I am?_

_Is a costumed fool_

_Trapped in a tragic game_ _?_

 

Steph was outside by the bike racks, looking around the school grounds, perhaps as heartbroken as Michael was.

_Charades and pretty lies_

_They hide_

_what's deep inside me_

_Charades_

_conceal me_

_But can't you feel_

_The real me_

_The real me_

_Behind my charades?_

 

Michael was back in his nuclear shelter, sadly drawing hearts-within-a-heart on his sketchpad.

 

_Oh, please don't mind me_

_Performing at my hardest_

_As I paint_

_upon the air_

_You won't find me_

_'Cause it's a portrait of the artist,_

 

Back at Rydell, Michael was caught up in the bustle of pre-talent-show mania. Stacie & Gracie squealed about their making it to the show as Michael slid past them.

 

_As the man who isn't there_

 

_Charades and pretty lies_

_They hide what's_

_deep inside me_

In another part of the hall, he came across the T-Birds - his nemesis - as they practiced some of their talent show moves.

_Charades_

_conceal me_

_But can't you feeeeeel_

_the real me?_

 

On his final venture down the hall, he came across a few open lockers. Out of depression - and subconsciously imitating the `cool crowd' - he strode by and slapped each locker closed.

_The real me_

_Behind my charades?_

 

 

Michael was now in the darkened auditorium, walking past the stage, past the Calendar Girls set pieces.

 

_Can't you feel the real me_

_Behind my charades?_

_Have I lost the real me,_

_Behind my charades?_

We pan into his face, full of sadness and hurt, having to choose between being himself and Steph's Lone Rider.

 

**  
**


	15. Part 14: The Chase / Talent Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to a head as Lone Rider is again confronted by the vengeful T-Birds, and seemingly perishes after a daring jump from Dead Man's Curve.
> 
> At the Talent Show, Johnny and Paulette have a few words with each other, Paulette finally showing him who's boss.
> 
> Steph is inconsolable upon Lone Rider's demise, which affects her performance at the June Moon Talent Show, with surprising results, as her sad soliloquy (Love Will Turn Back The Hands of Time) wins her the girl's division.
> 
> Note: It's here that I added Willow124's reference about an unseen performer singing along with Stephanie while backstage. Thanks, Willow124!

**Part 15: The Chase / Talent Show**

                Friday, June 15th

Talent Show mania! Students were pouring out of their cars, filling up the auditorium parking lot. At the entrance, the students piled up, awaiting entrance, Francine among the crowd, looking softly radiant in an elegant tan dress. Ms. Mason and Mr. Stuart, both dressed in elegance and style, greeting the arriving hopefuls.

 

The Cheerleader Twins arrived, and they actually looked lovely in their dresses and bouffant hairdos.

 

Ms. Mason said, "Girls, girls, I’m so nervous!"

 

Gracie asked, "How do I look?"

 

Ms. Mason said, as Stacie & Gracie really _did_ look beautiful, "You look perfect. Just remember, have lots of fun tonight."

 

Stacie & Gracie nodded and departed as Mr. Stuart said with a wave, "And good luck!"

 

Ms. Mason seconded, "Yeah, good luck!"

 

Meanwhile, heading towards the talent show in the Pink Ladies' Studebaker, Paulette leaned over the front seat to check herself in the mirror, and Sharon in the passenger seat as Rhonda drove.  


Paulette said, "He said he’d meet her out front."

 

Sharon responded haughtily, cigarette in hand, "How _anybody_ can get so hot and bothered over someone they don't even know…" she took a drag from her smoke, "… is totally _beyond_ me."

"Sharon?!" Rhonda admonished.

 

"What?"

 

"She's got a crush!"

 

Back at the Auditorium, Steph waited by the entrance, dressed in a stunning black and silver gown; She really looked uncommonly beautiful; Not tough and gorgeous, but delicate and elegant.

She looked up and saw a motorcycle arriving from the north alley; Lone Rider, ready to sweep her off her feet again.

 

She darted down the stairs to meet him. When he pulled up to let her hop on, they looked up to see three more motorcycles on approach from the west alley; The-T-Birds.

 

 _Of course. Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong,_ will _go wrong._

 

He said to her, touching her cheek, "I'll be back."

 

As Lone Rider pulled away, Goose yelled in recognition, **_"Johnny!! It's that guy!!"_**

 

 ** _"This time we get him, Zinone!"_** Johnny threatened.

 

She cried out, **_"Johnny, no!”_** He ignored her pleas and started off towards Lone Rider, **_“Johnny!!"_**

 

Davey leapt out of the side-car and pushed Goose's cycle in Lone Rider's direction, then hopped back in head-first as Goose gunned the engine.

 

The Pink Ladies pulled up just as the T-Birds departed. Steph ran up to the car and cried, **_"Rhonda, go! They're going to kill him!"_**

 

Paulette asked in surprise as she was pulled back to the car, "Who's killing who?"

 

Steph commanded, **_"Open the door! Move over!"_**

 

As they piled back in, Paulette asked in alarm, "Where are we going?!"

 

**_"I don't know, just go!"_ **

 

As the Pink Ladies car stormed down the street, Rhonda was making some radical maneuvers to avoid getting stuck behind slower cars. Said effect was that the passengers were thrown side to side, screaming **_`Ahhh! AAAHHHHH!'_**

 

Steph screamed, frightened by the wild ride, **_"Oh, my God!”_**

 

Rhonda cried, **_“What?!”_**

 

Sharon squealed, **_“We're gonna die and I’m wearing my mother's underwear!"_**

 

As the car sped down the street, Paulette cried, ** _"Steph, where are we going?!"_**

 

Steph cried out, intent on stopping her dream guy from getting mauled, **_"I don’t know, just follow them!"_**

 

Rhonda pointed out, **_“There they go!”_**

 

Back on the chase, Lone Rider dodged barricades and the ominous Dead Man's Curve warning sign.

 

_Let’s see: Make a potentially fatal, death-defying leap over a pitch-black chasm, or get mauled by Steph’s jealous ex. On one hand, there’s Death-jump. On the other hand, there’s getting beaten up. Death-jump. Get beaten up. Well, maybe he could just stop, and try to reason with the T-Bi… crap, looks like it’s the `Death-Jump’ option!_

 

He bashed through the barricades, the cycle hit the edge of the deep chasm, and he and his cycle flew off into the inky darkness.

 

The T-Birds arrived at the scene, and Davey leapt from the side car, and rushed to the edge of the immense, dark trench, looking for any sign of their quarry as the other T-Birds shut off their bikes.

 

Davey looked worriedly at the others. They didn't _really_ plan on killing Lone Rider, or even really harming him. Just intimidation and warnings, maybe some roughing-up, but not murder.

 

He asked meekly, "I figured the guy to slow up... right?"

 

Louis tried to reason it away, but he was as shocked at the turn of events as the others, "Yeah, it ain't our fault the guy don't slow up, huh, Johnny?"

 

Johnny stared at the dark trench, equally shocked and stunned. He was no killer, but he and the T-Birds might have done just that.

 

He said to himself, shaken, _"It's gotta be at least 100 feet to the other side..."_

 

Louis said in concern, “Hey,” Trying to get Johnny’s attention.

 

Johnny snapped out of it, realized he sounded unsteady, and collected himself, "Yeah, yeah, what can I say?"

 

Louis stated regretfully as the Pink Ladies arrived, "If he _didn't_ make it, he ain't gonna look too pretty."

 

Stephanie leapt out of the car, and rushed up to the edge, "Where is he?"

 

Louis looked down at the dark trench, and realized there was nothing to see. "He ain't down there."

 

Johnny asked, realizing Louis was right. If the mystery biker had crashed, there might have been evidence - like an explosion - "Whaddaya mean `he ain't down there'? Where'd he go? Biker heaven?"

 

Stephanie was crushed. She sobbed in horror, **_"Oh, I know he's dead!"_**

 

Johnny tried to downplay the situation, for himself _and_ for hers, "He made the jump. _I_ could do that."

 

Goose played along, "Yeah, you could jump that, Johnny."   


Johnny was a great, skilled biker in his own right, but Lone Rider was a self-trained pro. If _he_ didn't make it, no way Johnny could.

 

Johnny stated grimly, as there was nothing left to do, "Let's go."

 

The T-Birds geared for departure before the police could arrive.

 

Steph squeaked, inconsolable, "And I’ll never see him again."

 

 _"Come on!"_ Johnny commanded, eager to depart - to avoid the possibility of dealing with the police - or because he couldn't stand to see Steph hurting... which was _his_ fault.

 

Steph was crushed, thinking it was her fault the T-Birds hated Lone Rider. She dumped Johnny and rode with another biker, against the apparently one-sided Pink Lady / T-Bird code.

 

She asked softly, in horror, _"What have I done??"_

 

"Nothing, Steph!" Sharon reasoned, trying to help her through.

 

"He'll be OK," Paulette said reassuringly, "Steph, _nobody_ rides like him."

 

Rhonda looked down towards the trench, pointing at the lack of visible wreckage, "There's nothing even down there!"

 

Paulette said gently, trying to get Steph back to the car, "Come on, we’ve got to get out of here, you can't stay here."

 

Sharon stated, "Come on, we're going to be late."

 

Pulling Steph to the car, Paulette cried enthusiastically, _"Look, you saw him, he jumped over a cop car at the Bowl-A-Rama, and that was a really big jump!"_

 

"He'll show up, I know it. I just know it!" Sharon exclaimed consolingly.

  **  
**

Back at Rydell’s June Moon Talent Show, Willie Willard was singing Johnnie Ray's song `Cry' like a Drama King, and he was extremely animated and dramatic; Clutching the air, his chest, in fact _anybody_ who happened by...

_If your sweetheart..._

_Sends a letter..._

_of goodbye..._

 

And over the song, the cries and whoops of several girls could be heard.

 

Backstage, as Johnny stood, perhaps worried about Steph - and what happened to Lone Rider - Paulette scampered by, clad in tight, white, sexy summertime lingerie, "Hi, Johnny."

 

"Hi..." He responded absently, then noticed her revealing lingerie, **_"Hold it!"_** She came over to him, confused, `what?!'. He cried, **_"What are you, crazy?!"_** He rolled his eyes, opening his jacket to shield her body from unwanted stares, "Look... I told you before, you are _not_ going out there like that!"

 

Misunderstanding, she said, "Oh, I know, I gotta put a little something on my face."

 

"You have gotta put a little something on your _body!"_

 

She reasoned, "I gotta dress like this, I'm summer."

 

As several contestants passed by – a student in very odd-looking tights and a sailboat hat (??) and a blonde cashier-girl with her hair piled in a humongous beehive, one of the `Prowlin’ girls - Johnny tossed various articles of wardrobe on Paulette, trying to cover her lingerie, _"Yeah, well... get yourself a pair of galoshes, a-a snowsuit, a scarf, and be, be winter!_ And _that_ is Johnny Nogerelli's final word!" He finished, snapping his jacket collar. He was done, he'd said his piece, made his decree.

 

And that was it for Paulette!

 

As he tried to strut away, she reeled on him, "Yeah?! Well, you want to hear my `final word', Mr. Push-Everyone-Around Nogerelli?! Maybe you can _bully_ some chicks in this school…!" She shoved him back in rage.

 

“Be cool, Paulette…” he tried to defend himself as she railed on him.

 

"…But _this_ chick has been bullied by one Johnny Nogerelli for the last time!" She shoved him again as Stacie and Gracie shuffled by.

 

“Ow!”

 

"I may not be the classiest chick in this school…” She kept advancing, backing him up towards the curtains as Aurelio Perez watched in astonishment `She's handing him his ass!' “…but I’m the best you're gonna get, **_so take it, or leave it!"_**

 

She shoved him right through the curtains, right towards Willie!

 

_Under cloudy skies…._ _So…_

_let your hair down…_

_And go wild and (Urrrrrrrrrgh) cryyyyyyyyy!_

 

And Willie grabbed Johnny's pant-leg, pulling Johnny towards him as he crooned like a wild man. Johnny tried to shake the wailing weirdo loose, **_"Will ya let go of me?!"_**

Willie was clinging to Johnny's leg like a horny hound dog! _Watch out for your goodies, Johnny! That man's a sex maniac!_

Mrs. McGee helped pull him away, Johnny tore away, and departed behind the curtains as Willie grabbed _her._

 

**_"Stop that!"_ **

 

Backstage, Johnny was caught up in mix of T-Birds, Martin Misner and his flamenco dancers, and other talent show hopefuls, and yelled, **_"Shut up!"_**

 

Mrs. McGee poked her head in and screamed, **_"Quiet!!"_** After she was done telling off the noisy students, she returned to the stage to introduce the next act, "And now, Martin Misner and his red-hot... accordion!"

 

Johnny said, moving off, "Let's go practice up in the can."

 

"Johnny, we've got nothing to worry about," Louis reasoned.

 

Davey stated as they pursued, "Don't worry, Johnny, we're gonna have…"

 

He was cut off as Goose added, "Hey, the albumens are ours."

 

                In the Shower room, the Prep-Tones were at it again, practicing in the showers. Besides singing and bowling, what else did those preppy snots do at Rydell?

_Bah-buh-bah-bah-bah-buh-bah-bah_

_bah-buh-bah-buh-bah_

 

As they practiced, the T-Birds stormed in en masse and quickly tied the Prep-Tones to the shower pipes. One of the Preppies cried out as Goose took off their pink-red satin jackets.

 

"Hey, the jackets! He's taking our jackets!" Vernon Scott said as he was pushed up against the shower piping assembly.

 

_"Hey, come on, guys!"_

 

Goose, Louis, and Davey finally fastened the ties, keeping the Prep-Tones lashed together as they swiped their jackets and ties.

 

Brad cried out, _"Hey, Nogerelli!"_ Goose put his arm over Brad's shoulder, humming a mockery of `Mr. Sandman' while Vernon said in annoyance, knowing what was in store, _"Don't do it. OK, guys?!"_

 

Johnny smirked, then snapped his fingers; `Soak 'em'.

The T-Birds cranked the release wheel, drenching their rivals.

 

**_"Turn it off! Hey, Nogerelli!"_ **

 

Goose jumped up to hang from an overhanging pipe, swinging back and forth, laughing as Louis plopped a bar of soap into Brad's mouth.

 

While T-Birds departed with their jackets, pointing and laughing the Prep-Tones yelled and kicked at them as they got soaked, but Goose danced away mockingly.

 

                Back on stage

 

Martin Misner played his tune on his accordion, and Mr. Stuart, who was seated in the audience, appeared to be nodding off, put to sleep by the aural barrage assaulting the audience's ears. Ms. Mason glanced at him, but he wasn't asleep, just bored.

 

Finally, while the flamenco dancers behind Misner skittered around a large ornate fan, the fan itself snapped in half and fell in two pieces, interrupting his performance. Equipment malfunction to the rescue!

 

Mrs. McGee said as he left the stage, "Thank you, Martin Miesner." It wasn't _horrible_ music, after all, merely boring, like a mind-numbing lullaby. "And now, I have the great pleasure to introduce... the T-Bones!"

 

                Backstage

 

Steph, dressed in her Calendar Girls Christmas Tree costume, was sobbing, still despondent over Lone Rider's demise.

 

Sharon encouraged, “Come on, Steph.”

                Onstage, the T-Birds, dressed to the nines in their stolen Prep-Tones' jackets, finished their song, with Johnny swinging the microphone in wide circles.

_Toiiiiiight!_

 

_We're goin' prowlin'!_

_Prowlin'!_

_To-ni-i-ight!_

_Toniiiiiiiiight!_

 

Uproarious applause.

 

Johnny bowed deeply as Mrs. McGee announced, "The T-Bones!" Again getting the name wrong.

 

As the audience cheered and applauded, the angry Prep-Tones watched from side-stage, dripping wet.

 

Johnny corrected into the mike, _"Birds!_ T-Birds."

 

Mrs. McGee announced the final act, "And now, the Calendar Girls in `A Girl For All Seasons'."

 

Mrs. Mason tried to direct Johnny away, but he was still smiling confidently, pointing at the audience `Hey thank you. You're a great audience'. Mrs. McGee finally pulled him backstage, so the next act could begin.

 

The curtains pulled away to reveal a gigantic ornate set. 

 

Sharon's costume - St. Patrick's Day, green, with green & gold cape, the collar - glittery gold, shaped like a cloverleaf, with pink fringe. Flanking her, stage right, was Francine, who looked _stunning_ in her cream-and-gold with copper and green `May’ costume, wearing a very tall Maypole headpiece, her braids wrapped with gold, and Helen was dressed in a pink `April’ Easter Bunny costume.

_I'll be yours in springtime_

_When the flowers are in bloom_

_We'll wander through the meadows_

_In all their sweet perfume_

_And every night I’ll hold you tight_

_Beneath that April moon._

 

_Ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah!_

Sharon, Francine, and Helen bowed - Francine stumbled slightly but instantly recovered like a pro - stood and ballet-danced on their tippy-toes and they danced elegantly across the stage.

_I'll be your girl for all seasons_

_All the year through_

_Your girl for all seasons_

_'cause I’d lo-o-ove, lo-o-ove, lo-o-ove,_

_Yes, I’d love to be everything to you._

_Just you._

 

Louis and Davey dashed to the ornate door set, and opened it to reveal - Paulette... descending the stage, her lingerie revealing, seductive, gorgeous; Her headpiece; a crown shaped like the sun. Sandi Green was to her left, wearing a striped baseball jersey, and a baseball and mitt headpiece (August). On Paulette’s right, Evie Lynn was wearing a blue outfit with silver stars, silver gloves, a red and blue cape, and the word JULY spelled with the `J’ on a firecracker on her right shoulder, the `UL’ on a firecracker headpiece, and the `Y’ on a firecracker on her left shoulder. And behind them, Davey and Louis spun golden umbrellas, wearing feathered, sparkly hats.

 

_I'll be yours in summer_

_When we're playing in the sand._

_We'll spend the day together._

_Making love and getting tanned._

_And on the beach at sunset,_

_When we're walking hand in hand_

 

_Ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah_

_ah-ah-ah!_

 

_I'll be your girl for all seasons_

_All the year through_

Johnny smiled brightly; Paulette looked stunning and lovely all at once. He lost Stephanie, but look what.... look at _who_ he gained!

 

_Your girl for all seasons_

_'cause I’d lo-o-ove, lo-o-ove, lo-o-ove,_

_Yes, I’d love to be everything to you._

_Just you._

 

Louis and Davey dashed backstage to have Dolores help them quickly dress in their switch-able season outfits (tree branches on the front of the tunic, orange feathered hats), then they dashed back to the ornate door set, and opened it to reveal – Rhonda as September

She descended the steps in her purple / plum Tree suit with a yellow sash, and she looked really pretty, not at all `wooden'. Vicki Hunt, at stage left, was clad in skeleton tights as October, wearing a giant Jack-O-Lantern headpiece. Stage right was Lucy Dickens, wearing a pilgrim outfit, a turkey tail plumage collar with NOVEMBER atop the tail feathers, and a Horn Of Plenty headpiece, standard Thanksgiving fare.

 

_If you fall in the fall you'll see_

_September can be heavenly._

_If you fall, say you'll fall for me._

_When autumn leaves_

_are falling from the tree._

 

Louis and Davey dashed backstage again to have Dolores help them quickly dress in their Christmas outfits (with stocking caps), then they dashed back to the ornate door set, and opened it to reveal - Stephanie as December.

 

However, as she descended the stage in her Christmas tree dress - DECEMBER hanging from the hem of the dress, a lit Christmas Star ornament atop her head - her eyes were hollow, empty.

 

Dancers flanked her; Dallace Winger, wearing an outfit with the wiggling face of George Washington (February), and Donna Singer wore an oversized New Year's Eve champagne glass that had foam / nylon legs sticking out of it (January) .

 

As they sang, Steph moved to the music half-heartedly but didn't sing. She stared ahead, silent.

 

_I'll be yours in winter_

_When the snow is on the ground_

_I'll warm you through December_

_And I’ll always be around._

 

Sharon noticed Steph's trance-like state and asked in concern, "What's wrong with Stephanie? She forgot the words. Somebody help her with the words!"

 

_We'll kiss below the mistletoe_

_When Santa comes to town._

 

Steph, heart-sick and crushed, stared in blankly despair, slowly fell to her knees as she heard in her head:

 

_Goose's voice: **Johnny!! It's that guy!!**_

 

_Johnny's voice: **This time we get him, Zinone!**_

 

_Stephanie's voice: **Johnny!...** Where is he?_

 

_Louis' voice: He ain't down there._

 

_Johnny's voice: Where'd he go?_

 

_Steph's Voice: **I know he's dead!**_

 

Mr. Stuart turned to Blanche and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?” Blanche stared silently, equally worried.

 

The others realized that Steph had gone catatonic. Sharon cried, "Louis, pull the curtain!"

In the audience, Ms. Mason knew that Steph was hurting. She turned to Mr. Stuart and said, "I'll be back." She departed to assist.

 

As the flanking Calendar Girls surrounded her, trying to help, Steph removed the Christmas Star headpiece…

…as tears poured out of her in the form of...

_No more_ _midnight_ _rides with you._

 

Francine asked softly, “Steph, are you okay?”

 

Rhonda asked softly, concerned, "Stephanie, what's wrong?" as the rest of the Calendar Girls surrounded Steph.

 

_No more secret rendezvous._

 

Nothing was left to do, Steph was too heartsick to respond, so the Calendar Girls and Pink Ladies backed away.

_I'm gonna miss_

_all the things we'll never do, oh-ho..._

_I just can't believe_

_You left me here alone._

_How in this world_

_Can I make it on my own? Oh..._

 

The star suddenly flew out of her grasp. She watched it as it ascended... and she was whisked away into an eerie, sad dreamland.

 

Amid the foggy landscape, piled in the shape of a hill were the gray `skeletons' of wrecked motorcycles. Atop the motorcycle graveyard stood the specter of Lone Rider, his black leather suit now silvery platinum.

 

_Remember, I love you_

_I won't be far away_

_Baby, close your eyes_

_And think of yesterday_

_And we'll be there... together_

_Steph / Lone Rider:_

_Love will turn back the hands of time_

_Whoa-ho, turn back_

_Whoa-ho, turn back_

_The hands of time, whoah-oh..._

_Steph:_

_Baby, don't you know?_

_It's hard to let you go_

_Lone Rider:_

_Save all your dreams_

_And keep me in your heart_

_Steph:_

_It hurts to say goodbye_

_No matter how I try_

_Lone Rider:_

_Love will survive_

_Even though we have to part._

 

Lone Rider spoke tenderly to her, trying to help her through it all.

Stephanie, please don't cry.

 

Oh, it all seems so unfair! Just when I found you, I lost you!!

 

That doesn't matter now. The only thing that matters is that I love you!

And you're the only one who can keep our love alive!

(imploring) So, Stephanie, **_don't forget me!!"_**

I promise!

 

Lone Rider was back with his spectral `Cool Rider’ atop the motorcycle hill.

_Remember..._

_I love you._

_You won't be far away._

_I just close my eyes_

_And bring back yesterday_

 

They faded to a ghostly memory of Lone Rider and Stephanie riding on his cycle. Smiling, In love. Untouchable.

 

_And we'll be there... together_

_Love will turn back the hands of time_

_Turn back! Whoa-ho!_

_Turn back the hands of time_

 

Stephanie returned to the present. She had been singing her heart out to the audience, as well as the ghost of Lone Rider.

 

_Steph:_

_We'll turn back, Whoa-ho!_

_Turn back, Whoa-ho!_

_Turn back the hands of time we'll turn back...._

 

The song ended, and Steph sank to the floor despondently, cradling the star headpiece against her chest.

 

Not knowing what had really happened, the crowd applauded uproariously anyway.

 

Unseen by all, a shadowy figure pulled away from the side-stage piano, releasing the microphone he'd been holding, and made a quick escape.

 

Mrs. McGee stepped on stage with Stacie and Gracie, both holding the grand prize coupons.

Mrs. McGee announced, "And now, the winners of the Talent Contest, and the King and Queen of the Lani Kai Lani Luau, Mr. Nogerelli!"

 

Johnny smiled and spread his arms in victory, though the T-Birds did _technically_ cheat by drenching the Prep-Tones and stealing their jackets, but Mrs. McGee seemed to make an allowance. The Prep-Tones were _boring!_

 

"And Miss Zinone!"

 

Steph looked up in shock as Gracie flapped the winnings coupon in her face.

 

"Please, Miss Zinone! Remember, you're a _queen!"_ Mrs. McGee admonished as she pulled Steph to her feet

 

Sharon rushed up to be photographed with her compatriots, and cheered, "Smile, Stephanie!"

 

Paulette exclaimed in glee, "You won the whole talent show!"

 

Sharon corrected, "The _Girls'_ division, Paulette."

 

"That's not so bad!" Rhonda replied.

 

Mrs. McGee announced, "Everyone bow, and we'll see you all at the Luau tomorrow."

 

Louis looked at their prizes, aghast, "I can't believe we won half the records; All the _Ti-chok-ski_ and _Choppin."_

 

As Johnny yanked Louis' stocking cap off, Goose grabbed the prize list, and exclaimed, "What are you talkin'?! No Roy Orbisons?!" He looked at their half of the grand prize in disappointment.

 

Johnny waved to the applauding audience, then glanced at Steph, and his smile faltered. _He_ was the main cause of her grief, chasing after Lone Rider and causing his apparent demise.

 

As everyone else bowed and waved, Steph looked down sadly, in her own world of despair.

 ** ****  
**  



	16. 15: The Luau (Summer Is Comin')

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of school year blow-out, a Hawaiian-themed Luau.
> 
> Steph's still depressed over Lone Rider's demise and refuses to have a fun time, despite `Luau King' Johnny's enthusiasm.
> 
> Now what could POSSIBLY go wrong with this Luau??? Perhaps an unwanted visit from the Cycle Lords!

**16: The Luau**

13 red-Yellow pom-poms shook wildly, then are pulled away to reveal the Cheerleader Twins and The Prep-Tones shakin' their stuff as a monster conflagration of a Hawaiian-Themed Luau blazed behind them

_Well a-wob-bob-a-hula_

_Rock-a-hula rock-a-hula_

_Luau, luau, luau, luau_

_A wham-a bama lama_

_Shanga langa langa langa_

_Luau, luau, luau, luau!_

_Rah rah Rydell_

_Well-a well-a well-a well-a_

_Rock-a-hula luau wow!_

 

Organized pandemonium! Rydell's finest - and sexiest - students joined together for their final gathering. Francine! Donna! Evie! Helen! Sandi! Dallace! Vicki! Lucinda! All boogie-ing wildly in Hawaiian outfits.

_Come-a come-a come-a_

_To the rock-a-hula luau_

_Everybody's here_

_And we're waitin' for you now_

_We're gonna stick together_

_And we won't let go_

_We're lettin' everybody know_

_It's a luau_

_A rock-a-hula luau_

 

The Pink ladies danced single-file in a Conga line – Sharon, Rhonda, Paulette, Steph, Dolores - shaking bamboo batons, dressed in light dresses and blouse – but Steph wore gray to show her sullen mood, she wasn't in a Luau state-of-mind.

 

The Cheerleader Twins scoffed at their rivals, “You know, it's girls like that who give summer fun a bad name."

 

Steph stepped up to them, threatening a beat-down with her bamboo baton. _She_ might not be in a party mood, but no reason for those snots to ruin it for the others.

 

Stacie & Gracie left in a huff as Paulette pulled Steph back into the conga line. Steph turned to glare at Stacie & Gracie, then returned to the conga line.

 

_Come-a come-a come-a come-a_

_We're gettin' it on now_

_Summer, summer, summer_

_Is a-comin' along now_

 

The-T-Birds were struttin' their stuff, wearing Tiki Masks, as they jammed to the lively tune.

 

Bernie, Aurelio, Dennis, R.G., Chuck, Artie, Willie, and Roy danced around each other then piled in a pyramid.

 

_I wish it was forever_

_'Cause it feels so right_

_Don't you worry, honey_

_We'll be rockin' all night at the luau_

_A rock-a-hula luau_

 

Johnny flipped up the half-mask he was wearing, and eyed the crowd, surveying what was the last day as his reign as King of the Luau, and the last days as a T-Bird.

 

Out from a bamboo-&-frond hut came a bike-drawn chariot, Calhoun driving, Mrs. McGee, and Blanche as passengers.

 

As they circled the Pool of Enchantment area, the partiers were in full force, frivolity and fun everywhere. Rhonda and Paulette jamming at the edge of the pool, Mr. Stuart, and Ms. Mason in a small boat in the center of the pool… and the side of the pool, a familiar face could be spotted, munching on a cotton candy, very much alive, as he had been the unseen voice singing along with Steph - as he played the piano - during the heart-wracking song that won her the girl's division of the talent show.*

 

_Summer is coming_

_We're all here together._

_If only this feeling_

_Could go on forever._

_Summer is coming_

_We'll always remember._

_Summer is coming right now_

 

Dancers and fun everywhere; Francine had ditched her regular ensemble, wearing a hot red party blouse with a white-green-blue low-cut collar, crisscross straps, red dancer pants, yellow and red leis, blue hula skirt, her braids looped, and she was vigorously dancing her heart out with Willie!

 

_Rock-a-hula luau_

_Rock-a-hula luau_

_It's a rock, rock-a-hula luau (Uh-huh)_

_Rock-a-hula luau_

_Rock-a-hula luau_

 

Ms. Mason and Mr. Stuart looked at each other, grinning - obviously a couple now - obscuring themselves with shaking grass pom-poms as they leaned in for a kiss.

 

                Dusk. It was dark now, and _still_ the party raged on, dancers jamming wildly.

   

_Hula! Hula! Hula! Hula! Hula! Hula!_

 

“ ** _As the sun sets on the Lani Kai Lani Luau, a reminder to our seniors: in the words of our very own President Kennedy, `Think not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country._**

 

As she spoke, the partiers dancing around the pool slowly sank down to the deck, still jamming!

 

As Mrs. McGee, Blanche, Mr. Stuart, Ms Mason, sat at a Hawaiian-style table, decorated in grass accoutrements, and Coach Calhoun took one of the chairs behind them, Mrs. McGee continued on the overhead, “Now, will the King and Queen of the Luau take their appointed positions on the Pool of Enchantment?"

 

A large bamboo & frond raft, Steph and Johnny its passengers, was hoisted upon the shoulders of several athletic students, led by Bruce Sanders, and ceremoniously carried into the pool as the surrounding students chanted, _"Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau! Luau!"_

Brad, one of the bearers, seemed to be having a hard time of it as the water was colder than he’d expected.

 

On the raft, though encumbered by his grass and feather `King' costume, Johnny was still able to appear cool and laid-back, smoking. Steph, dressed similarly, was less receptive to the fun around her, stared sadly at her surroundings, her heart still broken.

 

Johnny noticed her sullen expression, and cheered, his cigarette wiggling in his mouth as he spoke, "Come on, we're havin' a good time! It's a luau!" And then his cigarette flipped out of his mouth and landed on his grass hula skirt.

 

As he twisted around and tried to retrieve the cigarette, Steph yelled, "Stop it! What are you doing?!"

 

He yelped as he scrambled to find it, "I dropped a cigarette, I'm burnin' myself!"

 

She screamed, **_"You'll burn us up! Can't you put it out?! You'll knock us over!"_**

 

 ** _"Will you cut it out?!"_** He yelled as he tried to straighten himself out, **_"I'm tryin' to be cool here!"_**

 

"Johnny, would you shut up?!" She yelled back, "Will you get me out of here?!"

 

 ** _“Will you be quiet?!”_** He shot back

 

By the side of the pool, Mrs. McGee was walking with the still-shaky, googly-eyed Mr. Spears. As she talked, Mr. Spears was walking so unsteadily, he might as well have been made of rubber.

"Your doctor is quite right, Mr. Spears," She said encouragingly, "The school environment is so much better for you than the hospital. But I am encouraged at..." she greeted Paulette, "Oh, hello, dear... at the way you've been looking lately.” As she was talking, Mr. Spears had drunkenly wobbled up the steps to the pool... and right _into_ the pool. Mrs. McGee turned to see where he... wasn't... "You look so...."

 

She saw him totally submerged, his butt sticking out of the water, bobbing up and down, _"Mr. Spears!_ Oh, good heavens!"

 

And then all hell broke loose!

 

The Cycle Lords came crashing through the booths and concession stands, scattering the partiers! Balmudo was in the lead, whooping and screaming, **_"WHOO-HOO-HOOO! HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!! YEEEAH!!!"_**

 

The Cycle Lords were causing all kinds of ruckus; Chasing party-goers, smashing concession stands and the Kissing Booth, while Johnny and Steph were thrashing around wildly on the raft, trying to break free.

 

 ** _"Sit down, Stephanie! I'm gonna fall in!!"_** As they trashed wildly, Johnny yelled, **_"Will you help me row, Stephanie?!"_**

 

Steph screamed, **_"Stop yelling at meeeee!"_**

 

Screams of **_"Get out of the way!" "You punk!"_** While the Cycle Lords wreaked havoc.

 

As one of the Cycle Lords chased down a student along the edge of the pool, he jeered, _"Haul ass, shrimp!"_

 

Steph screamed, **_"Get off of me!"_**

 

 ** _"Oh, come on, will you help me rooooooow?!"_** Johnny screamed as Steph pushed him over.

 

 ** _"Get out of here!" “Pigs!!”_** The Pink Ladies screamed as they tossed stuffed animals at the intruders

 

While they tried to get the raft stable, Johnny griped at their inability to assist, _"Stuck in the pool of enchantment!"_  


Steph cried, “We’re going the wrong way!”

 

Johnny yelled to his guys, jabbing a finger towards the marauders, **_"Birds, get em!!"_**

 

As the Cycle Lords were tear-assing around, the T-Birds found the cake-stand, and were using them in a futile attempt to nail their rivals.

 

 ** _"I got one! I got one!"_** Goose yelled as he grabbed a cake, and hucked it for all he was worth... and it splattered Davey right in the face. "Uh, sorry." Davey launched at him, pretty strong for his size, and tackled Goose, wrestling him to the ground. Goose, usually a match for someone Davey's size, was having a tough time, and yelled, **_"Sorry! Get off! I didn't mean it!!"_**

 

As the chaos reigned, the Cycle Lords sidled up near the pool to gloat.

 

And like an avenging angel, Lone Rider appeared like a vision of vengeance atop a concession booth, in leather and goggles, sleeveless and helmet-less - and quite alive - ready to bring the hammer down!

 

Lone Rider roared like a demon-possessed, **_"HEY!! BALMUDO!!!"_**

 

Balmudo roared in rage, pointing, **_"Hey, man, that's the guy who decked me!!"_**

 

Steph was shocked and elated! She breathed in wonder, _"It's him."_

 

Goose and Louis gasped, _"It's him!"_ Davey might have commented, but he was busy eating the cake off of his fingers.

 

Paulette and Sharon gasped, _"It's him!"_ Rhonda was too busy cleaning her glasses to comment either.

 

Lone Rider leapt down to his bike, which he'd concealed before the luau.

 

Steph stared, enthralled. Not only was her Cool Rider alive - He’d beaten the Cycle Lords in his epic debut, swept her off her feet, evaded the vengeful T-Birds, survived a 100-foot jump over Dead Man’s Curve - he was back to dish out a serious truckload of whoop-ass on the Cycle Lords.

 

Johnny stared in shock, perhaps thinking simultaneously, `What the hell…?! He made it!! Thank God he's alive, I'm no killer!! / Oh, damn, Steph's dream guy is back!'

 

As Lone Rider suited up and tore out from the bike's hiding place, Balmudo sneered as he geared up for another show-down with the super-biker. And Balmudo knew he was in for another epic battle, one that would make their first encounter look like a preschool argument in comparison!

 

All hell broke loose - again - as Lone Rider tore ass around the partiers, leading the Cycle Lords on a wild chase. Several of the Cycle Lords crashed as they tried to catch up with him, but to no avail. Michael, in his desperation to win Steph's heart, trained himself way too well to be caught by a pack of third-rate cyclers!

 

And in the Pool of Enchantment, Steph and Johnny had taken to battling with the oars as they tried to row to the edge.

 

Lone Rider tore around the luau, and the Rydellians scrambled around the pool area to get out of the battle zone.

 

Then, Lone Rider’s grand finale; Scattering the partiers - Paulette and Rhonda in the lead - in the opposite direction, he tore up the stairs of the Pool of Enchantment, and flew gracefully over the shocked `King' and `Queen'.

_It's a bird! It's a plane! It's… one bad-ass biker!_

 

Steph didn't have to read a Superman comic… _her_ Superman was soaring over her as she cried in shock and joy, _"He's alive!"_

 

A Cycle Lord tried to repeat that stunt and crashed into the pool as Michael landed and skidded to a halt.

 

And even _another_ Cycle Lord tried the same, screaming, **_“Oh, oh, noooo!”_** as - this was supposed to be a surprise - he plowed into the water.

 

The Cycle Lord’s bikes were heavy; Lone Rider’s Cool Rider was a Honda Scrambler; Faster and lighter.

 

Lone Rider watched his rival’s idiocy as they floundered in defeat. _`Frickin' twats’._

 

Balmudo dismounted, threw his bike into the grass, dashed up the stairs, and berated his subordinates, who were bobbing up and down in the pool, **_"What's wrong with you, man?! Get out of the pool!"_**

 

Stacie & Gracie rushed Balmudo, crying, **_"You've ruined our luau!"_**

 

 ** _"Get off me!"_** He yelled as he tried to push them away, but their momentum took him into the pool, too. **_"Ahhhh!"_**

 

 _Splash,_ times three.

 

Satisfied that the fight was over - and that it was safe to do so - Michael slowly removed his goggles, showing himself to his friends and the staff.

 

Blanche cried out, **_"Michael! It's Michael!"_**

 

The teachers departed to greet him, leaving the still-soaking Mr. Spears to wobble drunkenly, then collapse into a pile of human jelly.

 

 

Steph got to the edge of the pool, flinging away her costume - and it landed on Johnny.

 

As the staff and friends rushed to greet Michael / Lone Rider, Johnny was struggling comically with the cumbersome `King' and `Queen' outfits, trying to fling them away.

 

"Michael?" Steph gasped in shock.

 

Johnny finally kicked his annoying accoutrements away, trying to reclaim some dignity.

 

Steph slinked towards Michael, enthralled… heading down the stairs... then stumbled a bit and scurried down the steps before she fell.

_"You?!"_ Louis gasped in astonishment, not only at the fact that Lone Rider was still alive, but that he was the `nerd' they called `Shakespeare'.

 

 _"You_ made that jump?!" Davey asked in surprise and relief.

 

"Shakespeare?!" Goose asked, equally stunned.

 

Not only was he their `rival' Lone Rider, but also the book-smart Michael Carrington. And to make that jump - and defeat the Cycle Lords - he was a better biker than all of the T-Birds!

 

Steph, shaken, stepped up to Michael, relieved that he was alive, and shocked that the guy who she initially rejected had changed himself to become her beloved Cool Rider.

 

It was _Michael_ she had loved all along.

 

She said in disbelief and relief, "I thought you were dead." She stared at him, amazed that she got back not only the man of her dreams, but also the guy she was warming up to on her own, caring for him despite his being a `nerd'. " _You!"_

 

Johnny arrived, seemingly spoiling for a fight. He was agitated, at least, "Move it, _move it! I’m gonna rearrange his...!"_

 

Paulette cried, **_"Hey!"_** to stop him from causing Steph's new man any more challenges.

 

Johnny, still agitated, shot back, a bit too loudly, **_"What?!"_**

 

Paulette shrank back from his apparent anger, and said softly, "Nothing."

 

Johnny turned back to Michael, agitated, pointing at Michael in shock, "Yeah, heh, hah… no..." all at once glad that Lone Rider was alive, but also dismayed that he was the guy he tried to stop Steph from being with.

 

Michael simply answered, "Yeah. Yeah, Johnny."

 

Johnny, still agitated, said shakily, "Yeah, well, you got one more jump, ah, Mr. Cool Rider, ah, Shakespeare, ah, Carrington." He lunged towards Michael, who backed away, arm up.

 

Steph cried out, _"Wait a second! Haven't we had enough of this?!"_

 

Davey said reasonably, "She's got a point, Johnny."

 

Louis added, "Davey's got a point, Johnny."

 

Goose added, "You know, Lou's got a point about Davey's point, Johnny..."

 

Johnny, fed up with the cross-talk, hollered, **_"Shut up, alla youse!! I've got a point to make, too!!"_ ** He calmed, then ordered, arm out, "Jacket!"

 

"One T-Bird jacket," Davey answered, and tossed it, but missed, and it hit Paulette.

 

Johnny turned to see who caught the jacket, and saw Paulette looking warily at him as Bernie and Helen watched from behind.

 

He softened, and said very gently, "Jacket."

 

She smiled brightly, handing it to him, "Jacket!"

 

Johnny took it from her with a smile of `thanks', then turned to Michael, all of his hostility and posturing completely gone, "For starters, let's see how it looks."

 

`You're one of us.'

 

As the partiers `awwed' and applauded, and Steph smiled in surprise and relief, Michael smiled and slid the jacket over his vest. A perfect fit! He was now officially a T-Bird! The _elite!_ Coolest of the cool! Even though they graduate soon, he made it, and had their respect. _And_ Stephanie.

 

“Very nice,” Johnny said with a smile.

 

The T-Birds reached to shake his hand, then they point their hands down, `ah gotcha!’. They clasped his arms in a brotherly way, congratulating him on his not only whipping the Cycle Lords asses, but joining their elite club.

 

“OK.”

 

“All right.”

 

“All right.”

 

Dolores came up to Michael, towing her new man, Davey, with her, “Listen, I gotta talk to you. We can’t see each other any more because,” indicated Davey, who smiled sheepishly, “I’ve kinda got another man on my hands now.”

 

Michael pulled her over, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered into her ear, _“_ _It’s too bad we didn’t meet in another place at another time.”_

 

"Oh, right," she smiled, snapping her fingers and pointing, "That’s the breaks.”

 

As Steph and Michael got closer, a moment they both wanted badly, the crowd moved in.

 

Johnny, irritated by the crowd, knowing Steph and Michael needed some space, ordered, “Hey, what’s everybody lookin’ at?! Dis- _perse!”_

 

As the crowd moved away, Steph kissed Michael tenderly, gently, with great relief and love. He leaned in and kissed her with all of the love he held for her since their first meeting.

 

Steph was ashamed of herself for her misconceptions about him, immediately dismissing him, rejecting him for being a `nerd'. But how many nerds could train themselves to become a bad-ass biker? Michael went from naive book-smart `nerd' to leather-wearing `Cool Rider' in just a few months… and all just to be with her.

 

When they broke apart, Michael said softly, out-of-breath, “Hey, Stephanie… I never thought you’d kiss me like that if you knew who I really was.”

 

She cried and laughed, **_“Are you crazy?!_** I got two for the price of one.”

 

“Are you certain?”

 

She cooed, “I’ve never been certainer.”

 

He lovingly corrected her grammar, “`More certain’.”

 

She giggled, _“The certainest!”_

 

“The `certainest’?” Good enough, “Yeah, I like that. I’d love to kiss you again.”

 

And they do; A long, soft, hot, deep, wet kiss that lasted about ten seconds.

 

Steph broke the kiss and sang softly, sweetly...

 

_You were the one._

_The one in my dreams._

_But I never knew it_

_Michael:_

_I wanted to tell you time and again_

_But I couldn’t do it_

 

_Steph:_

_All that you are is all that I need_

_No more pretending_

 

_Michael:_

_Now I can be me_

_Steph:_

_You can be you_

_Together:_

_And we’re never ending, whoa-ho-ho..._

 

Swept in the warm emotions and cheer of the end-of-the-year / end-of-school celebration, the couples embraced and swayed together. Who knows, they may go their separate ways afterwards, but now they were living in the moment.

 

Artie and Sandi swayed together, and she took the lei from her neck and draped it over each other as they kissed while Bernie and Helen swayed behind them

 

Even with Steph and Michael's bodies swaying in the foreground, Francine was beautiful enough to easily be seen tenderly holding her man, Willie, as they swayed together.

_All:_

_We’ll be together_

_Always together_

_Like birds of a feather_

_Forever and ever_

_We’ll be together_

 

Johnny had his dance with Paulette, who he realized he really does love. Besides, she was stunning and then some. _Loads_ better than Marilyn Monroe! Marilyn was in Hollywood, untouchable. Paulette was right there, and all for him.

_I like what you got._

_I guess it’s OK_

_If you want to show it_

_Paulette:_

_I am what I am_

_and I’m all for you_

_Just want you to know it._

Louis and Sharon had their dance. Obviously, Louis still desired intimacy with Sharon, but he loved her, too. The incident at the bomb shelter could have ended their relationship, but Sharon loved him too much to let a comically flopped come-on attempt ruin what they had.

_Louis:_

_Will I ever score?_

_Sharon_ _:_

_There's nothing wrong_

_with just liking each other._

The T-Birds and Pink Ladies swayed together, and even Davey seemed to enjoy holding his new girlfriend, Dolores. The mood was light, the party was waning, but there was love in the air.

_We all had our doubts_

_But it's workin' out_

_with one another, whoa-ho-ho..._

_We'll be together_

_Always together_

_Like birds of a feather_

_Forever and ever_

_We'll be together_

 

This was the end of the party, the beginning of a new life for the gathered friends. So they ended the party with a bang worthy of any fireworks display!

 

                The next day, the T-Birds, with their newest member, and the Pink Ladies, were all decked out in their graduation robes as Mrs. McGee and Blanche snapped their picture.

They threw their caps into the air as one, their `Victory Dance'.

_We'll be together._

_Always together._

_Like birds of a feather._

_Forever and ever._

_Like birds_ of _a feather_

_Forever and ever!!_

 

The music turned instrumental and bittersweet as the Rydell students charged from the school en masse (Francine, Stacie & Gracie, Bernie & Helen), and were captured in a freeze-frame.

 

Davey leapt forward, arms and legs splayed, freeze-framed, and became a yearbook photo, as did Goose & Rhonda, Sharon and Louis, and Johnny & Paulette. Then finally Steph and Michael became the final yearbook photo.

 

_We'll be together_

_Always together_

_We'll be together_

_Always together......_ _(Fades then segues to) ..._

_The board of education took away my parole!_

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_You won't find me_

_'til the clock strikes three._

_I'm gonna be there 'til then._

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again!_

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to school... again!_

 

 

Credits continue to roll, showing pictures of the characters in their roles, as yearbook photos.

 

**Cast:**

Michael Carrington / Lone Rider:                                             Maxwell Caulfield

Stephanie Zinone:                                                                   Michelle Pfeiffer

 

**T-Birds:**

Johnny Nogerelli:                                                                     Adrian Zmed

Goose McKenzie:                                                                    Christopher McDonald

Louis DiMucci:                                                                         Peter Frechette

Davey Jaworski:                                                                     Leif Green

**Pink Ladies**

Paulette Rebchuck:                                                                                 Lorna Luft

Sharon Cooper:                                                                       Maureen Teefy

Rhonda Ritter:                                                                         Allison Price

Dolores Rebchuck:                                                                  Pamela Segall

 

**Returning from `Grease':**

Frenchy LeFevre:                                                                  DidiConn

Mrs. McGee:                                                                            Eve Arden

Blanche Hodel:                                                                        Dody Goodman

Coach Calhoun:                                                                       Sid Caesar

Eugene Felsnic:                                                                       Eddie Deezen

Leo Balmudo (Crater-Face):                                                   Dennis C. Stewart

Mr. Spears:                                                                             Dick Patterson

 

Mr. Bud Stuart:                                                                        Tab Hunter

Ms. Yvette Mason:                                                                  Connie Stevens

Stacie:                                                                                     Jean Segall

Gracie:                                                                                    Liz Segall

Brad:                                                                                       Matt Lattanzi

Preptone:                                                                                 Brad Jeffries

Henry Dickey (Preptone):                                                        Vernon Scott:

 

**Boy & Girl Greasers (Named)**

 

**Calendar Girls**

 

Helen Andrews: April                                                             Helena Andreyko

Francine Austin: May                                                              Ivy Austin

Evie Lynn: July                                                                        Evelyn Tosi

Sandi Green: August                                                              Sandra Gray

Vicki Hunt: October                                                               Vicki Hunter

Lucy Dickens: November                                                        Lucinda Dickie

Donna Singer: January                                                           Donna King

Dallace Winger: February                                                       Dallace Winkler

 

Bernie Dillard:                                                                          Bernardo Hiller

Artie Tennyson:                                                                      Andy Tennant

Willie Willard / Drama King singing `Cry':                                 Tom Villard

Aurelio Perez:                                                                         Aurelio Padrón

Bruce Sanders:                                                                       Michael DiMente (Guy with bass guitar)

Dennis Jimenez:                                                                      Dennis Daniels

Chuck McGovern:                                                                   Charles McGowan

Roy Luther:                                                                             Roy Luthringer

R.G.                                                                                         John Robert Garrett

Angry Old Geezer / Windshield man:                                      Frank Clark:

Olivia Jones                                                                             Janet Jones - uncredited

Freddie, Balmudo’s Right-Hand man                                       Freddie Hice

G.E. Salva, Pfeil’s Cycle Salvage Yard Owner:                      Uncredited (No. it’s not Alex Karras)

 

**Cycle Lords (Unnamed)**

Steve M. Davison, Richard Epper, Pat Green, Steve Holladay, Gary Hymes, Michael Runyard, Scott Wilder

 

Hillary Carlip: Dancer (uncredited) ,Mary Ann Hay: (Dancer / Girl in lab), Jennifer Newman: Dancer (uncredited), USC Trojan Marching Band: (uncredited) Tom Willett: Bowling Alley Manager (uncredited)

_  
_

_Geometry and History is just a pain!_

_Biology and Chemistry destroys my brain!_

_Don't they know that I deserve a better fate?_

_I'm really much too young to matriculate!_

_Well, Mama, please!_

_Your child's come down with a fatal disease!_

_Mama said, "Come on, you lazy bum_

**_AND GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!!"_ **

_"You gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_It's bye-bye fun!_

_Get your homework done!_

_it better be in by ten!"_

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa_

_I gotta go_

_Back to school again._

_I got my books together_

_and I dragged my feet._

_And then I saw this angel_

_Boppin' down the street._

_I said, "Hey, pretty baby,_

_how's about a date?"_

_She said, "I’m goin' to school_

_and I can't be late... "_

_Well, I can see,_

_that look in her eyes was sayin' "Follow me,"_

_And I was caught -_

_I thought of playing hooky,_

_but on second thought,_

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

_You won't find me '_

_til the clock strikes three;_

_I'm gonna be there 'til then..._

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to school..._

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to schoo-hool..._

_...again!_

 

 


	17. Part 17: End Credits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End credits, as this is a fan-retelling of Grease 2. Includes the made-up character names for the unnamed Boy / Girl Greasers.

Credits continue to roll, showing pictures of the characters in their roles, as yearbook photos.

 

**Cast:**

 

Michael Carrington / Lone Rider: Maxwell Caulfield

Stephanie Zinone: Michelle Pfeiffer

 

**T-Birds:**

Johnny Nogerelli: Adrian Zmed

Goose McKenzie: Christopher McDonald

Louis DiMucci: Peter Frechette

Davey Jaworski: Leif Green

 

**Pink Ladies**

Paulette Rebchuck: Lorna Luft

Sharon Cooper: Maureen Teefy

Rhonda Ritter: Allison Price

Dolores Rebchuck: Pamela Segall

 

**Returning from `Grease':**

Frenchy LeFevre: DidiConn

Mrs. McGee: Eve Arden

Blanche Hodel: Dody Goodman

Coach Calhoun: Sid Caesar

Eugene Felsnic: Eddie Deezen

Leo Balmudo (Crater-Face): Dennis C. Stewart

Mr. Spears: Dick Patterson

 

**With:**

Mr. Bud Stuart: Tab Hunter

Ms. Yvette Mason: Connie Stevens

Francine Austin: Ivy Austin (Girl Greaser)

Stacie: Jean Segall

Gracie: Liz Segall

Bernie Diller: Bernardo Hiller (Boy Greaser)

Helen: Helena Andreyko (Girl Greaser)

Artie: Andy Tennant (Boy Greaser)

Tom Willard / Drama King singing `Cry': Tom Villard

Brad: Matt Lattanzi

Preptone: Brad Jeffries

Henry Dickey (Preptone): Vernon Scott:

Aurelio Perez:Aurelio Padrón (Boy Greaser)

Donna Singer: Donna King (Girl Greaser)

Dallace Winger: Dallace Winkler (George Washington suit)

Bruce Sanders (Guy with Bass Guitar)Michael DiMente

Mary AnnMary Ann Hay: Dancer / Girl in lab

G.E. Salva, Pfeil’s Cycle Salvage Yard Owner: William Clark

Angry Old Geezer / Windshield man: Frank Clark:

**Cycle Lords**

Steve M. Davison, Richard Epper, Pat Green, Freddie Hice, Steve Holladay, Gary Hymes, Michael Runyard, Scott Wilder

 

**Girl Greasers**

Lucinda Dickey, Sandra Gray, Vicki Hunter, Evelyn Tosi

 

**Boy Greasers**

Dennis Daniels, John Robert Garrett, Roy Luthringer, Charles McGowan.

 

Hillary Carlip: Dancer (uncredited)

Jennifer Newman: Dancer (uncredited)

USC Trojan Marching Band: (uncredited)

Tom Willett: Bowling Alley Manager (uncredited)

_Geometry and History is just a pain!_

_Biology and Chemistry destroys my brain!_

_Don't they know that I deserve a better fate?_

_I'm really much too young to matriculate!_

_Well, Mama, please!_

_Your child's come down with a fatal disease!_

_Mama said, "Come on, you lazy bum_

**_AND GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!!"_ **

_"You gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_It's bye-bye fun!_

_Get your homework done!_

_it better be in by ten!"_

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa_

_I gotta go_

_Back to school again._

_I got my books together_

_and I dragged my feet._

_And then I saw this angel_

_Boppin' down the street._

_I said, "Hey, pretty baby,_

_how's about a date?"_

_She said, "I’m goin' to school_

_and I can't be late... "_

_Well, I can see,_

_that look in her eyes was sayin' "Follow me,"_

_And I was caught -_

_I thought of playing hooky,_

_but on second thought,_

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

_You won't find me '_

_til the clock strikes three;_

_I'm gonna be there 'til then..._

_I gotta go back,_

_back, back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to school..._

_I gotta go back, back_

_Back to school again._

_Whoa, whoa, I gotta go_

_Back to schoo-hool..._

_...again!_

**\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Alternate Title **_Grease 2: The Next Class_**

**Previously titled Grease 2, alias Son of Grease**

**Grease 2(tm) Logo property of Paramount Pictures & Patricia Birch**

 

In a fan fiction by Willow124, `After Everything That Happened, Now This?' Michael stated to his friends (both sets of T-Birds & Pink Ladies - G1 and G2) that after the Dead Man's Curve jump, he raced back to the talent show to play the piano. When Steph went into her catatonic state, and she started her `Love Will Turn Back The Hands of Time' song, Michael took up a microphone and sang along with her from backstage. That could explain how the audience may have heard the whole song.

 

**With _very special_ thanks to:**

Ivy Austin `Francine / Girl Greaser’, for being in Grease 2 _and_ responding to my emails, as well as helping me find out which Girl Greaser was who!

Bernie Hiller for telling me that Andy Tennant played Artie

 Hillary Carlip for answering my email

Willow124 for the fanfic `After Everything That Happened, Now This?' Which gave me the idea for Michael singing backstage with Steph

 And

Eddie Deezen for answering an email a few years ago _and_ for reprising his role as Eugene!


	18. Bonus - The Pink Lady Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one really knew what the Pink Lady Code really was. It basically stated that Pink Ladies couldn't date anyone who wasn't a T-Bird, and the pledge.
> 
> I kinda figured out what it might have looked like - It was probably written by the T-Birds, so it's pretty chauvinistic and sexist. I did the best I could to bring the mysterious Pink Lady Code to life.

 

An added bonus – The Pink Lady Code

 

 **Rule 1:** Obey the Pink Lady Pledge: Act cool, look cool, be cool. Til' death do us part, think Pink!

 **Rule 2:** At no time is a Pink Lady to become romantically involved with a non-T-Bird member. Restriction is rescinded only after graduation from school, transfer, or expulsion. A Pink Lady will not date a: Jock, nerd, preppie, anybody non-cool, or member of a rival school or gang. T-Birds, not Nerds!

 **Rule 3:** The Pink Lady jacket symbolizes that the wearer is the girlfriend / consort of a T-Bird member. Upon leaving the Pink Ladies under duress (violation of rules 1 and 2, expulsion, illness, death, school transfer) or personal choice, wearer must return the jacket to the T-Birds to avoid damaging said T-Birds' reputations. `They got a Rep to protect'. Rep is everything.

 **Rule 4:** A Pink Lady must present herself in appropriate attire at school at all times - Pink Lady jacket a must! Flashy, seductive costumes are not allowed, as they allow non-T-Bird students (and other males, staff included) to see what is for T-Bird eyes only. Seductive attire only to be worn if accompanied by their T-Bird escort / boyfriend.

 **Rule 5:** A Pink Lady is to have a cigarette and matches - no matches from the liquor store down the street - or a lighter on her at all times, for herself - cigarette equals `cool' - plus her fellow Pink Ladies and T-Birds (and favored Rydell staff) who might perchance wish to bum a smoke.

 **Rule 6:** No Pink Lady is allowed to interfere with other Pink Lady to T-Bird relationships. If the leader of the T-Birds is spoken for, unattached Pink Lady is not permitted to trespass on fellow Pink Lady relationship. If the leader of the T-Birds is available (Pink Lady girlfriend leaves - see rule #3), unattached Pink Lady may make advances on unclaimed T-Bird leader. See rule #4, apply it. The prettier the Pink Lady, the more interested the unattached T-Bird will be.

 **Rule 7:** Returning to Rule #2, Fraternization outside of T-Birds, if all members of the T-Birds are accounted for - have Pink Lady girlfriends - unattached Pink Lady must remain single. Addendum: If unattached Pink Lady has interest in non-T-Bird student, and wishes to pursue relationship with said student, see rule #3.

 **Rule 8.** Contrary to popular belief (see Rydell school year 1958-1959 [[Grease](http://grease.wikia.com/wiki/Grease)]), Premarital `coupling' (Sliding into home base - thank you, [Louis DiMucci](http://grease.wikia.com/wiki/Louis_DiMucci)) isn't a requirement for being a Pink Lady. Just don't die a virgin or die wearing your mother's underwear.

 **Rule 9:** If you're a non-romantic friend of the Pink Ladies, you're a friend for life. Friendship (non-fraternizational) may include nerd/brainiac (good for assistance with essays), and jock. _NOT_ allowed: Gossip Girls ([Patty Simcox](http://grease.wikia.com/wiki/Patty_Simcox)), or annoying cheerleaders ([Stacie & Gracie](http://grease.wikia.com/wiki/Stacie_%26_Gracie)).

 **ADDITIONAL -** Added June 16, 1962 If unattached Pink Lady meets and falls for former-nerd-turned-badass-biker, who saved the butts of T-Birds and Rydell students, fraternization rules rescinded!! (Co-signed by Johnny, Goose, Louis, Davey, Steph, Sharon, Paulette, Rhonda, Dolores).


End file.
